William Hughes: serial burglar who targeted vulnerable and elderly people in Cambridgeshire jailed for 16 years

A serial burglar has been jailed for 16 years following a spate of burglaries which targeted vulnerable and elderly victims in Cambridgeshire.

William Hughes, 27 of New Drove, Wisbech, threatened some of his victims with weapons. He also knocked two of the victims to the floor before raiding their homes.

He was caught on CCTV on December 27 at about 11pm as he broke into a property on Cannon Street in Wisbech and stole a TV and remote control. Hughes was spotted again on CCTV on New Years' Eve on Artillery Street at around 9.45pm.

A woman was stood outside her home watching fireworks when she was joined on her doorstep by Hughes, who was known to her. When she left the front step to get a coat from upstairs in the property, Hughes went into the living room before the victims shouted at him to get out. He left but then entered the property again through a door towards the back of the property and was caught again on video leaving the premises with a TV.

Four days later, Hughes woke his next victim up by shouting "Police - open up, open up" through his back door. The victim opened the door, believing it to be police officers on the other side, but was instead pushed to the ground by Hughes who then pinned him down and waves a knife above his head.

Hughes made off with £10 cash, a bank card and two mobile phones. He made a second burglary that afternoon, stealing a bank card and £20 cash from a victim who was unaware he was inside his home on Weasenham Lane.

Hughes returned to this address in the evening, pushing the victim to the ground, kicked him and held his gloved hand over his face. He stole his laptop and a phone before the victim ran terrifies to a neighbour's house to call the police.

Again on January 23, Hughes broke into the home of an elderly man and threatened him with a hammer before demanding money from him. The burglar fled the scene at Queens Road after he realised that someone else was inside the home also. He was caught and arrested by police the next day, after officers found him hiding under bed covers in a property on Cannon Street.

Hughes pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated burglary, three counts of burglary, fraud by false representation and take a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent. Cambridgeshire Constabulary's DC Pete Wise, who investigated, said: “Hughes caused a significant level of worry and fear in the Wisbech area as he targeted homes, as well as the charity shop which in itself is despicable. I welcome the sentence and I hope it will give the victims some degree of comfort. Tackling burglary is one of our priorities. We are working hard every day to bring offenders before the courts."