A man has been sentenced to six years in prison for a string of burglaries that occurred in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
Adam Prendergast of Blake’s Road, Peckham, East London was sentenced at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday 30 August to six years in prison for the burglary of nine homes; four of which were in Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Prendergast was also sentenced for dangerous driving and has been disqualified from driving for four and half years.
The 33-year-old, who was also sentenced for five burglaries in the South East of England, was caught by officers in Herefordshire after he had broken into the homes of elderly and vulnerable people and stolen their cash, jewellery and silverware in April, 2022.
PC Simon Caine, from Herefordshire Proactive CID, said: “Prendergast preyed on those who were vulnerable and had no issue breaking into their homes and taking from them possessions that had significant meaning and value.
“On Monday 25 April, after he had filled his car with other people’s cash and possessions, he was spotted by officers from the Herefordshire Operational Policing Unit who identified his number plates as false and the failed to stop for them once they tried to pull him over. He then drove at extremely dangerous high speeds through quiet villages putting pedestrians, and other road users lives’ at risk before ramming the pursuing police car in Leominster.
“A very short time after this he was stopped by more officers and successfully detained and arrested. Property from several of the houses was found in his car.
“Prendergast is a predator and the sentence handed down to him will I hope provide some comfort to his victims and will prevent him from violating other people’s homes and lives and will keep people safe from him.
“Our team and all officers and staff across West Mercia work hard daily to detect and prevent burglary and to keep people’s homes and possessions safe. My hope is that other offenders will take notice that elderly and vulnerable people in our communities are not an easy target and we will find you, catch you and you will go to prison.”
For safety advice on how to take steps to prevent burglaries visit the following pages:
Anyone with any concerns about suspicious activity is urged to get in touch. You can call 101 or visit https://www.westmercia.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/
Always dial 999 in an emergency.
Alternatively, if you have information but don’t feel comfortable speaking to police, you can speak to the independent charity Crimestoppers. It is 100% anonymous, they never ask your name and they cannot trace your call or IP address. You can contact them at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/ or by calling 0800 555 111.
