A TEENAGER who broke into his own grandmother’s home has successfully appealed to reduce his custodial sentence.

Simon Andrew Bilton was given an 18-month detention and training order, as a 17-year-old, by North Durham Youth Court bench, on August 28.

The court heard that he broke into the home of his 85-year-old grandmother, Joyce McIntyre, in Bridgehill, Consett, County Durham, taking £300 from her handbag, in the early hours of April 10.

Mark Styles, prosecuting, told yesterday’s appeal hearing: “It’s noteworthy that she had previously provided a home for both this defendant and yet he’s gone back to the house and burgled it.

“And, the vehicle used was taken from his mother’s home at 3am that morning.”

Mr Styles said the Hyundai Accent, worth £1,500, was later discovered severely damaged and was written off as a result.

He said in her statement to police Mrs Mcintyre said: “I feel sad someone has broken into my house while I’m sleeping and stolen what little I have.

“If Simon was involved I feel even sadder as, if he had needed money all he had to do was ask. I feel let down.”

Bilton, now 18, and of no fixed abode, admitted burglary, aggravated vehicle taking and a further charge of being carried in a car taken in aggravated fashion before being sentenced by the youth court.

Robert Adams, addressing yesterday’s appeal hearing, said: “It was entirely appropriate to send him to custody, there’s no criticism of that.”

But he said the 82 days spent in custody before sentence were not taken into consideration, while Bilton was not given sufficient discount for his ‘guilty’ pleas.

Judge Christopher Prince, sitting with two magistrates, said: “The magistrates can’t be criticised in any way for sending this young man to custody. They were exactly right to do so.

“What he did was a despicable breach of trust against a lady who had shown him kindness in the past.

“But there are rules relating to such sentences and if the maximum was two years he was entitled to a third deduction for the ‘guilty’ pleas and he had spent nearly three months in custody.”

The sentence was, therefore, reduced by eight months to one of ten months detention.