Couple stole from dying woman after her husband asked them for help

Kelly Cassidy and Steven Morris walked into partially-sighted Ronald Crowther’s home as he was upstairs caring for his dying wife Dorothy, who had fallen ill in the night on October 15.

The heroin addicts seized the opportunity to strike after seeing a distressed Mr Crowther looking for help in the street at around 3am – even offering to call an ambulance when he told them his wife was ill.

But the pair never called an ambulance. Instead they waited until the coast was clear to enter Mr Crowther’s Brierfield home.

The couple then located Mrs Crowther’s handbag and stole her mobile phone as well as her purse, which contained more than £300 in cash.

Tragically Mrs Crowther died before paramedics reached her.

Prosecutor Rachael Woods told Burnley Crown Court: “Mrs Crowther had been feeling poorly and so the couple went to bed, however by the next morning she had become very unwell and Mr Crowther was concerned she may be suffering from a heart attack and so he started panicking.

“He went out to go and get help from a neighbour who lived a few doors down.

"As he went out of his home in his pyjamas to find help to call an ambulance, because he was unable to do so as he was partially sighted, he unfortunately came across the two defendants who were skulking around in Nelson Street.

“As he left the property, Morris said to him ‘I’ve got a phone pal’ and offered to ring for an ambulance.

“Mr Crowther then went to his neighbour’s home and started to bang on the door, trying to awaken them. He did manage to awaken the man, who made every effort to call for an ambulance.

“In the meantime, Mr Crowther went back to his home to see his wife in bed. It was at that stage while Mr Crowther was tending to his dying wife, that these two defendants took it upon themselves to enter the home and steal a mobile phone and purse.

“They then left the property. In the meantime, the neighbour had made his way to the home to find Mr Crowther very distressed and concerned. He had been looking for his wife’s mobile phone as he wanted to call other members of the family.

“It was apparent that Mrs Crowther was becoming more unwell and so the ambulance was called again. Sadly by the time they arrived she had passed away despite their best efforts to revive her.”

The police were later informed about the missing items and enquiries to the North West Ambulance Service revealed that the only person who had called for help that night had been the neighbour.

CCTV footage from the street was recovered and an appeal to find Morris and Cassidy was launched.

Morris, 46, has a string of burglary convictions with 68 theft offences against his name. Before this incident Cassidy, 42, had been of 'good character'.

During defence for Cassidy, it was heard how she had become addicted to heroin after meeting Morris, leading to her offending. She was said to be deeply remorseful for what had happened,

Defending Morris, Derek Duffy said: “He accepts that this was a devastating burglary. He had little idea of the events that were going on and nobody anticipated the outcome. It is clear that whatever his actions were, they had no impact on this death.”

Jailing the couple for burglary, Judge David Potter said: “This is a truly shocking case that has and will continue to incense the public. For many, I expect most, the immediate sentences of custody that will be imposed will instinctively be felt by them as not long enough.

“But this court cannot and will not pass a sentence that is based on an emotional response to a shocking case.

“Rather the court will pass a sentence that firstly reflects the purpose of sentencing.”

Morris, of Southfield Street, Nelson, was jailed for four years and three months and Cassidy, of the same address, received a sentence of two years and six months.