A serial teenage burglar who ransacked the Heybridge home of an 80-year-old widower and stole the treasured belongings he remembered his late wife by has been spared custody.
Chelmsford Crown Court was told of the devastation felt by George Little when he returned to his bungalow after walking his dog to discover the burglary.
His home in Goldhanger Road had been broken into through the front door and the contents of his late wife's drawer in the bedroom – described as "her shrine" – had been plundered. Her jewellery box as missing.
Heart broken Mr Little estimated that a total of £10,000 worth of items had been stolen by the 16-year-old from the Aylesbury area who for legal reasons cannot be identified.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mr Little said: "I cannot settle. If I hear any car slow down outside or any unusual noise I have to get up to check what it is.
"And I now only leave the house if I have to. My social activities have been restricted because I don't want to leave the house."
Recorder Silas Reid said that the youth, who pleaded guilty to burglary, deserved custody and that if he had been an adult he would have been sentenced to at least four years.
But in view of his appalling up-bringing he said he was prepared to give him a "last chance to change."
However, the judge admitted : "People will probably think I have lost my mind and say you should go back into custody."
The youth, who has spent nearly two months on remand waiting for his case to come on was made subject of a three-year youth rehabilitation order. This included a 180 days activity requirement, three years' supervision and a three-month electronically tagged curfew from 7pm-7am.
The judge told him : "You took that man's precious memories.
"You went through his possession and those of his late wife. You took a large amount of her jewellery. I imagine you got just a fraction of that £10,000 taking it around the pawn shops but the value to the victim was priceless."
Counsel for the youth, Daniel Cavalieri, said the boy was not allowed to live with his mother in Northampton and his father couldn't be contacted. His brothers and sisters were taken into care but not him.
He said he had no positive role model in his life but was now in residential care and for the first time in his life would have positive role models and structure and stability.