Stephen Jeremy Shorter ransacked elderly woman’s home

An 84-year-old woman hid in fear of her life after a man entered her home and started ransacking the living room, kitchen and the bedroom she was hiding in.

Stephen Jeremy Shorter handed jail sentence at Gatton Magistrates Court (file image).

An 84-year-old woman was forced to cower in fear under her bed while a drunk man ransacked her house in search of drug money owed by a friend.

Stephen Jeremy Shorter entered the elderly woman’s Gatton home through an unlocked but closed security door.

Once inside he knocked over a pedestal fan and smashed a vase and television in the living room before knocking a glass flower vase onto the kitchen floor.

The 33-year-old then moved into the bedroom where the elderly woman was hiding, and rummaged through her clothing.

She was able to flee to a neighbour’s home after the Leichardt man finished searching her bedroom.

Police prosecutor Narelle Lowe told Gatton Magistrates Court the man had been up and down the woman’s street at different times that day, with witnesses telling police he appeared drunk.

Sergeant Lowe said Shorter entered the woman’s home after banging on the door of a neighbouring property and being told to go away.

Heroic neighbours went to the frightened woman’s home and tried to remove Shorter.

“However, (Shorter) stated he had permission to be at the address and the occupants owed him drug money,” Sergeant Lowe said.

Witnesses were able to get Shorter out of the woman’s home and he stayed in the street for some time before getting into a taxi.

During the ride, Shorter bizarrely asked the driver to call paramedics to attend the street in relation to a woman who had died, saying he couldn’t go there because he would be arrested.

Police intercepted the taxi and Shorter was arrested and taken to the watch-house.

Duty lawyer James Ryan said his client was “heavily intoxicated” and didn’t have a clue where he was at the time.

“His mate and mate’s mother had previously lived (in that street) and in a sign of how intoxicated he was, he forgot that she had died and attended her funeral,” Mr Ryan said.

“He had gone there looking for his mate who had moved out some time previously.”

Magistrate Peter Saggers condemned Shorter’s actions.

“For no reason, an intoxicated man goes into the house of an 84-year-old woman and smashes it up and she’s hiding in a room,” he said.

“A lot of blokes get intoxicated, but they don’t go into people’s houses and smash it up.”

Shorter pleaded guilty to the count of entering a dwelling to commit an indictable offence.

He was sentenced to 12 months’ jail but released him on immediate parole. He was also ordered to pay $750 in restitution to his victim.