Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Crime Statistics: Faces behind the figures

Jason Bennetto
Friday 10 January 2003 01:00 GMT

The burglary victim: George Sharpe

George Sharpe was a trusting man whom his neighbours described as a "wonderful gentleman" and one of the kindest people you could meet.

Shortly after 5pm on Wednesday he answered the door to his bungalow in the village of Haswell, Co Durham, to a stranger claiming to be a council official. Mr Sharpe, 82, who walked with the aid of two sticks, welcomed the man in. The official said he was inspecting the draught-proofing and began looking around the council bungalow. Only after the man, who was in his thirties, had left, did Mr Sharpe realise that he had been the victim of a trickster who had rifled through the drawers and stolen £200.

It was the second time in a year the pensioner had been the victim of a burglar. But this time the crime appeared to be too much for Mr Sharpe to bear. He contacted police and was interviewed. But at about 8pm, while a distressed Mr Sharpe was recalling the incident to relatives, he collapsed and died from a suspected heart attack.

A team of 36 police officers began a search for the conman yesterday. Detective Superintendent Harry Stephenson, from Northumbria Police, said: "Everything at this stage tragically points to a link between the burglary and the death of the victim, who had suffered a number of heart attacks in the last four years."

Mr Sharpe fell foul of a similar burglary 11 months ago, when a man posing as a water board official tricked his way into his home.

Det Supt Stephenson said: "The people involved in these crimes are despicable characters. Vulnerable members of the community across the North-east, particularly the elderly, are plagued by thieves with no regard for the distress and misery they leave in their wake."

Mr Sharpe's neighbour, Raymond Huntington, had known Mr Sharpe since they were children. He said: "George was a wonderful gentleman. He was the kindest man I ever knew."

The robbery victim: Teresa Chase

While walking to a friend's home in Brighton in the early hours of the morning, Teresa Chase, 24, noticed someone lurking in a front garden.

When she asked the man what he was doing he lunged at her, punching her repeatedly in the face before throwing her to the ground and kicking her.

She thought the man was a rapist. But what Duane Joseph, 24, wanted was the £10 cash she was carrying and her mobile phone. He jumped on top of her and put his hand over her mouth. The terrified woman was convinced she was fighting for her life.

Ms Crane, an architect's assistant from Australia, suffered no permanent physical injury from the mugging in January last year, although she was unable to see out of one eye for several weeks.

Joseph was jailed for four years at Lewes Crown Court, West Sussex, in February. He was said to have carried out the attack after becoming frustrated and angry about his financial difficulties. He was desperate to return to Trinidad to spend Christmas with his mother and grandmother but did not have enough money.

Judge Richard Brown said: "You viciously attacked and robbed a young woman. It must have been a terrifying experience for her. "

Ms Chase said: "I'm glad justice has been done but I would have liked to have met him and asked why he acted the way he did." She is planning to return to her parents' home in Brisbane but insisted: "I'm fine now and this hasn't put me off Britain."

The vehicle crime victim: Shirley Lam

When Shirley Lam saw someone trying to steal her car, she leapt into action. With no thought for her safety, she stood in the road as the young car thief began to drive off.

Ms Lam, 47, was thrown on to the car's bonnet and clung to the windscreen wipers as the driver veered from side to side to shake her off.

After a mile of weaving through the traffic in Manchester city centre, the Renault 19 slowed down enough for her to let go. But she continued to run after the car, by then stuck in traffic. As the thief saw her, he abandoned the £15,000 vehicle and fled.

This happened in May, when Ms Lam, an interpreter who lives in Manchester, stopped to post some letters. "I got out and foolishly left the keys in the car," she said. "Within seconds, I turned around to see this young man trying to start it. I was very angry and I wanted to scare him out of the car, so I went and stood in front of it. I thought I was going to die, I really did.

"He turned left and then right, and then slowed to make another turn and I managed to get off, though I banged my head. He was stuck at traffic lights in Great Ancoats Street and I ran towards him."

A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police said the force advised most victims of car theftnot to offer any resistance but to try to remember as many details about the offender as possible.

No one has been charged for this car crime.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in