Illegal immigrant is jailed for raid on Sikh priest’s family home in Leicester

Janda, of Uppingham Road, Leicester, was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court  Read more: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Illegal-immigrant-jailed-raid-Sikh-priest-s/story-20045370-detail/story.html#ixzz2k6NlZPWU
Janda, of Uppingham Road, Leicester, was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court

Leicester, UK—Janda, of Uppingham Road, Leicester, was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court

A Sikh priest’s family home was ransacked by a burglar, who made off with more than £10,000 of jewellery and cash.

Illegal immigrant Harjot Singh Janda was this week jailed for a total of 20 months.

The 27-year-old now faces deportation at the end of his sentence.

Janda admitted burgling the house, in Spinney Hills, in the city, on October 17.

Alan Murphy, prosecuting, said the priest was working at a nearby Sikh temple when the burglary happened. His wife discovered the break-in.

Mr Murphy told Leicester Crown Court: “All five bedrooms had been entered and a locked door forced open.

“There were clothes thrown about everywhere and disarray in every room.

“Jewellery worth about £10,000 and cash was stolen, along with four passports, an iPod and a digital camera with a memory card containing important family photographs.”

The court heard CCTV footage showed the defendant was with two unknown accomplices waiting in a nearby car.

Mr Murphy said: “He returned to the car with a bag and could be seen looking through the items within the bag.

“The burglary caused upset to the family and also for their guest, who was visiting from India and no longer wanted to stay.”

Janda, of Uppingham Road, Leicester, left fingerprints at the scene and, following his arrest, tested positive for opiates.

The offence put him in breach of a suspended four-month jail term for burglary.

Sentencing, Judge Michael Pert QC said: “This was a serious burglary at a priest’s house.

“Witnesses statements show the level of distress that was caused to the people whose family home was violated.

“They suffered the added embarrassment of their house guest feeling she could no longer stay there and having to go somewhere else.”

James Varley, mitigating, said: “It’s accepted the aggravating features are the value of property taken and the distress caused.”

Janda was an “over-stayer” in the UK and proceedings were already under way to deport him when he broke into the priest’s house.

Janda received 16 months in jail for the burglary.

The four-month suspended prison sentence was also activated by the judge, to run consecutively.

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