A burglar who targeted a cerebral palsy sufferer was jailed for almost four years.
Andrew Cushman burgled the Gillingham home of a woman whose windows he had once cleaned.
Shelley Cooper, who is just 5ft 1in and weighs six stone, was alone in her flat in Canterbury Street in December last year when Cushman called.
Teteh Turkson, prosecuting, said Cushman claimed to be there to fix her windows.
However, after being challenged by Mrs Cooper he pushed his way into the flat and rifled through her belongings.
Cushman, 37, of Gillingham Road, Gillingham, then filled Mrs Cooper’s shopping bag trolley with her PlayStation 3 console and games, a laptop, camera and cash. His haul totalled £1,568.
He even used Mrs Cooper’s telephone to make a four-second call to his mother.
As he went to leave the flat, 52-year-old Mrs Cooper threw a book at him. She was knocked to the ground, hurting her arm,
as Cushman pushed his way out.
The court heard he was captured on CCTV within minutes of the burglary walking along Canterbury Street pulling Mrs Cooper’s shopping trolley behind him.
Mr Turkson said Mrs Cooper now has trouble sleeping and “freezes” when she hears noises outside her door.
Cushman admitted burglary on the day his case was listed for trial, saving her from the further ordeal of giving evidence.
Judge Philip Statman jailed him for three years and nine months. “She was clearly very frightened indeed by your presence,” he told Cushman.
The court heard the long-term heroin addict received seven-and-a-half years in April 2001 for false imprisonment and causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
He had been released in July last year.