A PENSIONER was left unable to pass on an inheritance to her grandchildren after her uninsured home was torched by a burglar who tried to cover his tracks.

Sean Wood’s girlfriend had been the home-help of 83-yearold widow Marjorie Breet and he broke into the bungalow last February, days after learning she had been taken into care.

Teesside Crown Court heard that Wood, who was yesterday jailed for six years, went to the £250,000 property in Ormesby Bank, Middlesbrough – which he had visited many times before, with his partner – looking for antiques to steal.

After closed-circuit television camera pictures of a suspect were released to the media by police, Wood’s friends saw the images on the internet and confronted him.

He told them he had cut his hand on a window and set fire to the four-bedroomed bungalow to hide his DNA, Louise Reevell, prosecuting, told the court.

Woods’ barrister, Rod Hunt, described the 23-year-old as “greedy and stupid”, and said: “This defendant committed a wicked and selfish course of conduct.”

Neither the property nor the irreplaceable and sentimental contents were insured. They were to be left in Mrs Breet’s will to support her grandchildren’s education.

The bungalow was wrecked in the early morning blaze and has since been demolished. The plot has been valued at £65,000, Mrs Reevell told Judge Peter Fox.

In a statement, Mrs Breet’s son, Robin, told how Wood’s betrayal had left his family devastated – compounding the loss of their mother a few weeks later.

He said: “I have been made aware that the defendant was known by my late mother. He had visited her property on a number of occasions with his girlfriend.

“As a result, the defendant was able to take advantage of a seriously ill, elderly lady, living on her own, and take his opportunity when she was away from home.

“It is my view that my mother would have been profoundly affected by the news that the person responsible for the arson was someone in whom she had placed some trust.

“The extreme shock caused to her by the fire would have been exacerbated by the disloyalty. It is a matter of great regret to me – and will be for the rest of my life – that the actions of the defendant took peace away from my mother’s last few days.”

After the case, Detective Sergeant Lewis Matthews said: “This incident resulted in the total destruction of a home that had belonged to the family for more than 50 years.

“The elderly victim insisted on making one last visit to her home and saw it in ruins, shortly before passing away in a local hospice after a long-term illness.”

Wood, of Belk Close, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to the February 21 arson, being reckless as to whether life was endangered, at an earlier hearing.

In mitigation, Mr Hunt said: “He has struggled to comprehend the enormity of his actions.

No one could be unmoved by the terrible consequences to this lady and her family.”