Repeat burglaries blamed for death of war veteran

It has been reported this week that a 93-year-old man, who once served with the Home Guard, has died soon after suffering a number of break-ins at his home in Birmingham.

The pensioner, named as Leslie Ashton, is said to have been burgled five times within three months, possibly by the same person.

Just a week after the last of the incidents, Mr Ashton passed away, leaving friends and neighbours to conclude that the robberies contributed to his death.

Mr Ashton had lived in his home in Sparkhill for the past 67 years and had attempted to protect his home by boarding up the downstairs windows and installing surveillance cameras above his door.

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said:

“A 42 year-old man from Sparkhill has been charged with five counts of burglary and two counts of theft. He is due to appear at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday 11 April.

“This is in connection with five burglaries reported between 25 October 2010 and 8 January 2011 at an address in [road] Sparkhill.

“Neighbourhood officers and detectives from Birmingham East Local Policing Unit CID worked with the victim.

“As well as the criminal investigation, a crime reduction survey of the house was conducted, with the victim receiving new door and window locks.”

These kinds of incidents just go to show how important it is to ensure that you have home security systems installed on your property.