Contractor Clifford Tetley waited until the victim had been admitted to hospital for treatment
A handyman has been sent to prison after he stole jewellery, designer shoes and several bank cards from the home of a terminally ill man he’d been working for. Clifford Tetley had been employed as a contractor by the family of a man living in The Park in Nottingham for several years before deciding to break into the home between March 21 and 30, 2024.
He waited until the victim had been admitted to hospital for treatment after receiving a terminal illness diagnosis and sneaked into his empty home. While there, he took a watch, various pieces of jewellery, a pair of designer shoes, two electric bikes, a mountain bike and several bank cards.
After returning home a few days later, members of the family noticed the items had gone missing and suspected Tetley could be involved. This was because at the time Tetley was decorating the room where a secret spot holding valuables was located – making him one of very few people to know it existed.
The handyman repeatedly used the stolen bank cards to buy himself various items, including clothes and trainers. A later incident occurred in June 2024, where he unsuccessfully used an angle grinder to attempt to break into another property in The Meadows.
Tetley, of Waldron Close, The Meadows, was subsequently charged with burglary, attempted burglary, handling stolen goods and multiple counts of fraud by false representation. Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday, May 9, he pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to four years in prison.
Detective Constable Chris Adams, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Clifford Tetley had been employed as a trusted handyman by the victim’s family for several years before deciding to break into their home.
“That trust extended to him knowing about a secret space in the house where they kept valuables hidden; knowledge he exploited for his own gain while his victims were at their lowest point. One of the reasons the house was empty when he decided to strike was because his long-term employer was in hospital receiving treatment for a terminal illness, which tragically has since taken his life.
“When you consider all of this, what Tetley did was a particularly abhorrent betrayal of trust, with the burglar helping himself to all sorts of items that didn’t belong to him. We’re pleased to see he’s now received a substantial custodial sentence for his actions, which we hope will provide some small degree of comfort to the victims as they continue to mourn the loss of their loved one.”
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