John Kerrigan, from Romford, was sentenced to four years and three months and disqualified for a year for two distraction burglaries and for driving whilst disqualified.

Two men jailed for more than 10 years for stealing from the elderly

Safira Ali, Senior reporter Thursday, February 21, 2013
3:45 PM

Two men who were caught trying to steal from elderly people’s houses have been jailed for more than 10 years.

John Kerrigan, 41, of Hyde Close, Romford, and John Gallagher, 43, from Ambleside Close, Leyton, both appeared at St Albans Crown Court last week for sentencing for the distraction burglaries in Watford and Borehamwood.

Kerrigan pleaded guilty to two incidents as well as driving whilst disqualified. He was sentenced to four years and three months and disqualified for a year.

Gallagher pleaded guilty to two distraction burglaries and an attempted distraction burglary. He was sentenced to six years nine months in prison.

All incidents took place between May and August 2012.

The men targeted elderly people living predominantly in flats and tricked them to gain access to their houses by saying they were doing work upstairs and there were issues with the water supply or damp which they needed to investigate.

The men were eventually arrested after attempting to gain entry to two addresses in Saddlers Path on August 25 August, 2012.

Police were alerted to the incidents and local officers attended and carried out a search for the offenders. Gallagher and Kerrigan made off from police in the van they were using, a Ford Transit. The van eventually stopped at a dead end in Edgewarebury Lane and the two men were arrested.

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