The moment burglar who broke into a pensioner's home FIVE TIMES was caught creeping around her living room as she slept

Margaret Woodward, 68, was repeatedly burgled by Patrick Reid, 51

So police set up hidden camera in her flat and recognised the thief

Pensioner has been given £1,500 award for her bravery in chasing him off

Reid was jailed for four years and eight months earlier this year



As she snoozes in the living room that should be her sanctuary, a pensioner’s security is violated in the most appalling way.

These CCTV images show hooded burglar Patrick Reid prowling around 68-year-old Margaret Woodward’s armchair as she sleeps, totally oblivious to the danger in her midst.

But if Reid felt invincible in the face of such vulnerability, he was deluded.

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Creepy: Burglar Patrick Reid is pictured approaching Margaret Woodward as she sleeps in an armchair

Thief: Hidden cameras set up by police showed Reid taking Mrs Woodward's handbag from the basket of her mobility scooter

After rifling through her handbag and the basket of her mobility scooter, Reid set off an alarm as he was leaving.

Far from cowering in her seat, Mrs Woodward struggled to her feet, grabbed her walking stick and chased the intruder out of her flat.

And unknown to him, he had been caught on cameras installed by police after previous raids on Mrs Woodward’s flat, leading to his capture soon afterwards.

The chilling footage was released yesterday after the pensioner was awarded £1,500 for her ‘pluck and courage’ in confronting Reid, 51.

She was nominated by the judge who jailed him for the break-in – the fifth time Reid had allegedly targeted her.

Victim: Mrs Woodward was burgled by Reid five times within a year and had £900 stolen in total

Heading out: Reid casts an eye back at his victim as he prepares to walk out of the door with her handbag Alarm: The thief started running out of the flat as soon as Mrs Woodward's burglar alarm went off

Mrs Woodward, who suffers from severe arthritis in both knees, cannot bring herself to watch the film of the April incident because ‘it made me feel like I didn’t want to live any more’.

‘It was very frightening to wake up knowing there was somebody in my house but I was determined not to let him get away,’ she said.

‘I wanted to break his kneecaps with my walking stick so he couldn’t escape.’

The retired supermarket worker added: ‘I thought I’d be able to get him but he ran into my bedroom, jumped on to the bed and went straight out of the window like a gymnast tackling a hobby horse.’

The divorcee, who has no children, called police who found Reid at a nearby retail park.

Officers installed CCTV cameras at her home in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, after the property was repeatedly targeted last year.

She lost £900 over five break-ins before officers identified Reid in footage of the final raid and arrested him.

Sinister: Another angle of the cameras shows Reid looking around with Mrs Woodward, bottom left, asleep

Running: The habitual thief pictured at the moment the burglar alarm went off Heading off: Reid turns his back to the camera which had been set up to find his identity

Two cameras clearly captured the burglar rooting around the flat for 13 minutes looking for valuables – at times just inches from the sleeping pensioner. Mrs Woodward is first disturbed by the sound of Reid unzipping her handbag but is only roused fully from her sleep when he triggers the alarm at 12.50am.

As she moves towards her walking stick, Reid is seen disappearing into another room before making his escape through the bedroom window.

Reid, of Nottingham, was charged with all five break-ins but the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the first three charges.

The father of two was jailed in May after pleading guilty to the last two break-ins, stealing £53 from the pensioner’s purse in March and £66 when he returned to the flat the following month. Police told Mrs Woodward that Reid had a history of offending going back years.

She said she felt ‘traumatised’ and ‘abused’ by the burglar, adding: ‘My privacy has all gone. My main concern from now on is just to keep myself alive, just to keep going.’

Judge John Gosling jailed Reid for four years and eight months for his ‘wicked and calculated offending’.

He awarded Mrs Woodward £1,500 of the Derbyshire High Sheriff’s fund, which aims to improve quality of life for local residents.

Detective Constable Gill Richardson said: ‘It is particularly shocking in the film how brazen Reid is, being just inches away from Margaret.’

Chase: Mrs Woodward woke up when the alarm went off and brandished a stick at the burglar