STALKER JAILED FOR PUNCHING WOMAN AND STEALING £35K
Daniel O'Donnell, 30, of no fixed abode, admitted stealing two safes, which contained expensive jewellery and money, from a 70-year-old woman's home in Denton, Tameside, in November 2020.He received a five-year sentence after being convicted of assault, stalking, and burglary at Bolton Crown Court.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that O'Donnell had initially offered to undertake gardening work for a woman but then gained entry to her house by claiming there was a chimney leak.
While she was occupied outside, he stole the safes and her handbag.
He then placed the stolen items into a green wheelie bin, which he dragged down the driveway under the pretence of moving it aside.
The victim, who enjoyed collecting and repairing jewellery as a hobby, described the burglary as having “completely ruined my life.” She stated it had "taken away my sense of security in my own home and confidence".
Living alone without family support, she said her hobby was her way of passing time and finding happiness, but she now felt as though she had been left with nothing and no joy.
The police identified O'Donnell's fingerprint on the back door and arrested him on April 23.
In addition, O'Donnell was accused of physically assaulting another woman, whom he had been stalking, by punching her between 30 and 40 times, and of continued messaging and stalking her afterward, police added.
GMP representative Rick Beswick remarked: “O'Donnell is a heartless individual who not only assaulted and stalked a woman, causing her extreme fear, but also targeted an elderly woman in her own home.”
