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A labourer has been found guilty of breaking into and trying to burgle a flat on his way home after being given the sack after a two-day trial in the Royal Court.
Dean Christopher Rawlinson (32) was accused of entering the property in Les Quennevais on the morning of 30 March last year, just after being dismissed from his job at a building site in St. Brelade.
He denied the charge of illegal entry with intent to commit larceny.
On Tuesday, the jury in a Royal Court trial was shown footage from an internal home security system, in which an intruder wearing dark clothes could be seen entering the living room of the property, opening drawers, and putting his head round the door of a bedroom in which a 16-year-old boy was asleep.
The jurors also heard that Mr Rawlinson had previous convictions for similar offences in England.
Pictured: The case was heard in the Royal Court.
Crown Advocate Simon Crowder, prosecuting, told them: "You can be sure the images show the same defendant."
"He was sacked that morning. Shortly afterwards he went into the flat looking for something to steal," he added.
He said of Mr Rawlinson’s previous convictions: "He either stole property or intended to steal property on each occasion."
Giving evidence himself, Mr Rawlinson said he had gone straight home after being dismissed from his job, and Advocate Crowder asked him: "Where you in a position where you needed to steal?"
He replied: "No, I was in a position where I needed another job."
The advocate said: "You had no money, you had no source of income, and you reverted to type."
He answered: "I just went home."
The teenager and his father, who also lived in the flat, were unable to identify the intruder from the footage, while a police officer, who also gave evidence, confirmed that there were no fingerprints or footprints proving Mr Rawlinson had been there.
Advocate Nicholas Mière, defending, said: "We have no fingerprints, no DNA, no forensics.
"We have no statements from the residents. There is nothing from anyone operating businesses in the precinct."
Police had recovered a black face covering from Mr Rawlinson’s home but it was found to be a different kind from that worn by the intruder in the security footage.
Speaking on the day after the incident on 30 March last year, homeowner Nick Venton admitted he had initially thought his 16-year-old son, who he had left sleeping at home after going to work, had been mistaken about the intruder.
He said: “My son wasn’t sure what had happened as he’d been asleep and I thought he was talking rubbish at first, but then I checked the footage and there was a man in the house.”
After rushing home as soon as he realised what had happened, Mr Venton was relieved to find that his son was unharmed – but shocked – and that nothing appeared to have been taken.
“I was pretty stressed and angry about it – it’s not nice when you find out a stranger has been into your home, your own private space,” he added.
The jury delivered their guilty verdict on Wednesday morning. Bailiff Sir Timothy Le Cocq, who was presiding, thanked them as the case closed.
He said: "The court is very grateful that you have come along and done your civic duty and given appropriate care and consideration while the evidence was given."
Rawlinson will return to the Royal Court for sentencing on 26 May.
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