'Mean' burglar found friend dead in his house so she broke in later and stole his jewellery

Laura Clowes, a drink and drug addict, returned to the man's home a few hours later

A callous burglar broke into the home of a man she’d found dead the day before and stole his family’s jewellery. Nottingham Crown Court heard how Laura Clowes “ransacked” the victim’s home having hours previously tried in vain to save his life.

The heavily-convicted 37-year-old drink and drug addict then went on to commit more shop thefts. Jailing her for two years, Judge Steven Coupland said: “What you did on this occasion, whatever the reason or pressures you were put under by others, was particularly mean.

“You went to your friend’s house and found him dead and you started doing your best to help him, but you are here because you then, later, did your best to help yourself. You broke into his home and stole items, particularly jewellery which held a considerable amount of sentimental value to him and his family.

“The last thing his daughter needed, having just been told her father had died, was to find out that the following day these items had been stolen. You targeted a vulnerable victim, he was dead, and you stole from him and his family and this has caused a substantial loss to his family that things that held such sentimental value have gone forever.”

Laura Blackband, prosecuting, said the burglary took place in the early hours of January 28, 2023. She said the day before Clowes, of Sutton-in-Ashfield, had gone to the 51-year-old victim’s home and found him lifeless on his bed.

The prosecutor said: “The defendant called an ambulance and then carried out CPR and resuscitation to save his life but unfortunately was unsuccessful. Police then started to make enquiries, searched his home and left it secure. The following day they returned to the address with the dead man’s daughter and found it had been broken into and the bedroom ransacked with jewellery boxed strewn on the bed.

“Ring doorbell footage showed that at 4.20am this defendant and an unidentified male broke into the house.” Miss Blackband read out a victim impact statement made by the daughter of the man who died.

In it, she said: “The loss of a parent is devastating but then to hear that someone he knew had broken into his house has left me feeling angry that people would humiliate him when he had just died.”

The prosecutor said the two shop thefts happened at an Asda store on September 23 and 24 this year. Clowes, of Stuart Street, pleaded guilty to burglary and theft and has 27 previous court appearances for 52 offences.

Matt Hayes, mitigating, said his client has only ever been in magistrates’ court and never in crown and was “terrified and anxious” by the experience. He said: “There were other influences behind this.

“She is vulnerable and has a long-standing history of abusive and controlling relationships but she can't hide behind that what she committed was a mean offence against someone she had contact with regularly.”