Burglar left her socks behind at crime scenes

Janine Green was this week sentenced to 18 months in prison for breaking into three homes in Mirfield and Batley at night.

Green sneaked into homes in Sunnybank Road, Mirfield and Bennett Lane, Batley – but left two different trainer socks behind on both occasions, Leeds Crown Court heard on Monday.

Green, 36, claimed that the socks could have been taken by a visitor to her home in High Street, Hanging Heaton. They could have been worn on the hands of another criminal to frame Green, Anastatis Tasou, mitigating, said.

But jurors unanimously rejected the defence. Angus McDonald, prosecuting, told the court that the owner of the house in Sunnybank Road went to bed at 11pm on April 26, but was woken up at 1.45am by the sound of someone moving on the landing. It was dark and the man could not make out who was there. He froze and Green ran downstairs and out of the back door.

Some items were found discarded in a hedge and a single white trainer sock, which did not belong to the homeowner, was also found under the living room table.

Jurors then heard how the owners of a house in Bennett Lane were woken by a bang at around 1.30am on May 19. They did not investigate further but two laptops, one rucksack, a mobile phone, a computer dongle and a pair of reading glasses were missing in the morning.

A mystery sock was also found in the study.

Mr McDonald told the court expert forensic analysis showed there was just a one in a billion chance that the socks did not belong to Green.

Green, who is currently serving time for another crime in New Hall Women’s Prison, shared a home at the time of the burglaries and said many people had access to her clothing. She named a man she described as a known burglar as a possible culprit.

But Mr McDonald told the court that a forensics expert had ruled out that possibility.

Sentencing, Recorder Peter Babb told Green, who has 42 convictions for 93 offences: “You have an appalling record of previous convictions.

“The effect on the occupants can only be imagined by those who had not had to face that kind of situation.”

After the verdict, the court heard that Green had already pleaded guilty to burgling a house in Kirkgate, Batley, on May 19.