A CHRONIC drug addict who tried to steal from a vulnerable 86-year-old woman was caught on CCTV secretly installed by her family after they noticed items had gone missing from her home.

Paul O’Hara is now beginning an eight-month prison sentence after being jailed at Bradford Crown Court.

Prosecutor Ella Embleton said the victim, who lives alone, suffered from poor memory and depression, and they could not be sure that the possessions that had gone missing had been misplaced or stolen.

On the morning of June 17 this year O’Hara, 38, of Reevy Crescent, Bradford, was captured on CCTV leading the woman by her arm to a chair in corner of the living room of her home.

He was seen to look through the contents of her handbag, which prompted the victim’s daughter-in-law to shout through the camera’s audio system.

A startled O’Hara claimed he had helped the woman into her home after she had fallen.

However, the CCTV showed she had never left the house.

On being asked to leave, O’Hara did so.

He was arrested on June 21 and interviewed during which he stuck to his story that he had helped the woman inside after a fall. He later pleaded guilty to attempted theft.

The court heard that he had an extensive record for acquisitive offending including burglary, theft, taking without consent, and 17 instances of shoplifting as well as driving whilst disqualified.

In a victim statement, the family of the 86-year-old said she and they had been significantly impacted by what had occurred as they were no longer able to leave her alone in her home.

Miss Embleton said O’Hara deliberately targeted the victim who he knew to be vulnerable and attempted to exploit those vulnerabilities.

Mitigating, Lauren Smith said O’Hara’s offending was “unsophisticated, opportunistic, unplanned and impulsive” but that there were “no excuses” for his “despicable” behaviour. She pointed out that nothing had been stolen.

She added: “Mr O’Hara is addicted to Class A drugs. They don’t come cheap, and he steals to fund his habit. It’s the destructive nature of that addiction that made him target an 86-year-old vulnerable woman.”

Sentencing O’Hara, Mr Recorder David Kelly said: “It is clear that your offending has been and continues to be motivated by your desire to fund your chronic heroin and crack cocaine addictions.

“This offence caused significant emotional distress both to your victim and to her family.

“In light of your repeated failure to comply with community orders there is very little prospect at the current time of your rehabilitation. You will therefore serve this sentence immediately.”

He also imposed a three-year restraining order preventing O’Hara from having any contact with the victim.