The girl’s mother got the shock of her life when she realised the noise she heard was coming from the burglar and not her cat
Serial thief Deirdre O’Sullivan(Image: Humberside Police)
A drug-taking woman shamelessly tried to talk her way out of trouble after raiding the home of a six-year-old girl – and calmly pretended: “I’m looking for the vet’s.” Serial thief Deirdre O’Sullivan was lurking around in an upstairs bedroom of the house – while on a brazen thieving mission – when she was suddenly discovered by the girl’s mother.
The unsuspecting mother got the shock of her life when she realised to her horror that there was an intruder in the house. There was a tense confrontation between them before O’Sullivan sheepishly headed down the stairs – after earlier stealing the mother’s mobile phone and an iPad, Hull Crown Court heard.
O’Sullivan, 40, of Watts Road, Beverley, but recently in custody on remand, admitted burglary on January 25 and robbery on December 5. She also admitted three shop theft offences on November 24 and January 16 and 22. Jane Rapin, prosecuting, said that the burglary happened while a woman was at her home in Norwood, Beverley, with her six-year-old daughter. The woman went upstairs to her daughter’s bedroom to put some clothes away when she heard a door open.
She thought that it was their cat and she looked down to the bottom of the door and said: “Get out!” – speaking to what she thought was the cat. But it was O’Sullivan who was there and the intruder told the woman: “I’m looking for the vet’s.”
The occupier told O’Sullivan that the vets was across the road. O’Sullivan turned and walked downstairs out of the house. The woman followed her – but quickly realised that her mobile phone was missing and so went after O’Sullivan.
She asked O’Sullivan: “Excuse me, have you seen my phone?” – and then: “Oi! Where’s my f***ing phone?” O’Sullivan replied: “I don’t know what you’re on about.”
A man who was with O’Sullivan turned round several times. The woman could not continue to follow O’Sullivan because she did not want to leave her young daughter alone in the house.
The police later contacted the woman and asked her if an iPad had been stolen from her house. She had not, at the time, realised that it was missing after assuming that O’Sullivan had not been in that room.
O’Sullivan was identified. The woman was left in complete shock and she was now nervous about who was walking past her home. “I am concerned for my six-year-old daughter,” she said.
She was concerned that “random women” were going to enter the house and steal her daughter’s toys. “It devastates me that my daughter now doesn’t feel safe in her own home because this female walked in and stole our possessions,” said the woman.
The robbery happened after O’Sullivan went into a Premier store in Samman Road, Beverley, at about 12.20pm and took lots of items from the coffee aisle. She dropped some of them and two or three jars of coffee smashed on the floor.
O’Sullivan put items in a basket and went to the till but the £35 cash that she had with her did not cover the cost of the things that she was trying to buy. A female assistant told her to put some of them back. “The defendant tried to leave the store without making payment for the items,” said Miss Rapin.
The woman challenged her but O’Sullivan became confrontational and pushed and punched her. The incident left the store assistant upset and feeling panicked.
In other offences, O’Sullivan stole items from Maynews, Beverley, on November 24 as well as products from the Cotswold Outdoor clothes shop, Beverley, on January 16 and items from Heron Foods, Beverley, on January 22.
During police interview, O’Sullivan was shown CCTV pictures but she claimed: “Nothing to do with me.” She had convictions for 11 previous offences, 11 of them theft-related. Her most recent conviction was in 2007.
Oliver Shipley, mitigating, said: “These are unpleasant offences. They place her in a very tricky position. She knows that.” O’Sullivan was keen to make use of any help that could be offered to her after she left custody and she would “take this with both hands and not step out of line”.
Deputy circuit judge Timothy Clayson said that the burglary was opportunist but it was “still bad” because there were people in the house. “She has had a taste of custody, which either will or won’t have had an effect on her,” he said.
“Locking her up today might not be in the public’s interest. She has demonstrated that she can live without drugs and without offending. The two go hand in hand in many cases.”
O’Sullivan, who appeared in court via a video link from New Hall Prison, near Wakefield, was given six months’ drug rehabilitation and 20 days’ rehabilitation. “You are going to have to put in some hard work,” said the deputy circuit judge.
Did you know you can make Hull Live a preferred source of Hull news in Google, which will mean you get more of our breaking news, exclusives, and must-read stories straight away? Here’s more information about what this means and how to do it – you can also do it straight away by clicking here .