Burglar got caught trying to squeeze through cat flap at a children’s home

A burglar who tried to crawl into a children’s home through a cat flap left a ‘vulnerable’ child terrified for weeks.

Simon Highmore, of Carlisle, entered the back yard of the children’s home between May 5 and 6 last year through a garden gate, but injured himself trying to get in through the cat flap.

When Cumbria Police came to investigate the scene, they discovered a trail of Highmore’s blood on both the cat flap and the vehicles parked behind the home.

The children home’s manager said in a statement read by Prosecutor George Shelley that the child in question was a ‘night owl’ who would often wake up to get a snack.

The statement read: ‘For a good few weeks [after the burglary], she would not leave her bedroom once the staff had gone to bed. The child also became anxious about whether windows and doors were locked.

‘It’s crucial that these children feel safe when they are living here.’

Following DNA analysis, Highmore was arrested for attempted burglary and sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court to 20 months in prison.

DC Louise Telford said: ‘Highmore unsuccessfully attempted to enter the property but left a trail behind leading to his identification.’

Highmore has 137 previous offences, including previous thefts and other offences. He had just been released from prison for another 18 month stretch for burglary and drug possession before the botched raid.

His lawyer said he was not aware the home he was breaking into was a children’s home, and claimed to have ‘little memory’ of what happened that evening.

His arrest led police to suspected stolen items including a Shark vacuum cleaner, a tool bag, and two Makita power drills.

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