Burglar jailed despite 'not remembering' latest Gloucester break-in

LIFELONG burglar Peter Bull claimed he could not remember his latest raid because he suffers from amnesia.

But it wasn't enough to spare him jail and he was put behind bars for three years and two months at Gloucester Crown Court.

Bull, 42, broke into a couple's home in Eastfield Mews, Gloucester, between 7.45pm and 8.30pm on February 3 this year after the wife had gone out before her husband returned home.

The house had been locked up and was secure, but Bull used the 45-minute window of opportunity to smash the rear patio doors.

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After making an untidy search of most of the rooms of the house Bull made off with a gold watch, a laptop and a jar of coins.

But he cut himself while smashing the patio door and left telltale blood on the fridge, said Christopher Smyth, prosecuting.

His DNA was identified in the blood and he was promptly arrested but told police officers he didn't remember anything from the day as he suffers from blackouts.

Bull, of Denmark Road, Gloucester, committed his first house burglary when he was a juvenile in 1981 and has been found guilty of a string of similar offences since. In 2009 he was jailed after burgling a woman's home in Wotton. The court heard then he woke her up when he walked into her bedroom and switched the light on while she was sleeping. Two days after that break-in another home in the city was burgled and blood left on the conservatory was found to be Bull's. He also asked for two other burglaries to be taken into consideration at the time.

Bull pleaded guilty to breaking into the Eastfield Mews house.

Mr Smyth said the burglary had so upset householder Shawn Nedd, his wife and their young children that they had moved house when their lease expired rather than renew it.

Because of his criminal record, Bull was on "three strikes", liable to a minimum three-year jail term under tough Government legislation.

Even so, defence barrister John Stoton urged the court to consider a non-custodial sentence so Bull could get help from the probation service.

He told the court Bull is undergoing neurological tests at hospital and has a condition provisionally diagnosed as "transient global amnesia".

But Recorder Stephen Hall rejected the submission and jailed Bull for 38 months.

"Despite what is said on your behalf, I am of the view that you very well knew you had been involved in this domestic burglary," he said.

After the case, investigating officer PC Nicola Nolan said: "Burglary can have a profound effect on victims but that is not something that crosses the minds of persistent offenders like Peter Bull.

"We're pleased justice has been done and he won't be able to cause harm to anyone else for some time."