Jacob Robert Sansbury, 24, sentenced after wild home invasion to steal money for drugs
A man fell asleep watching the Premier League on his birthday – then an addict broke in and walked out of his home with $25,000 worth of items.
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An Adelaide addict high on meth and fantasy broke into the home of a man asleep after celebrating his birthday to steal items to pay for drugs, a court has heard.
Jacob Robert Sansbury, 24, fronted the District Court on Wednesday for sentencing after pleading guilty to aggravated serious criminal trespass and theft.
Judge Kristopher Handshin said Sansbury, of Findon, and his co-accused Maui Tienen – to be sentenced next month – were captured on CCTV leaving the property with two handbags, one a Prada design owned by the victim’s wife containing a “variety of personal items” totalling $25,000.
Tienen has pleaded guilty to the same charges as Sansbury, as well as aggravated cause harm with intent and aggravated theft.
“People are entitled to feel safe and secure in their own homes,” Judge Handshin said. “They are entitled to assume that strangers will not break into their homes and take their belongings in the middle of the night while their families sleep. Your offending, obviously enough, completely controverted these most basic expectations.
“It seems as though, in your early adulthood, that your abuse of drugs effectively came to dominate your life and saw you committing offences to steal property to sell in order to maintain your supply of drugs.”
About 1.30am on February 4, 2024, Sansbury’s victim was woken up by a noise in his backyard and, after checking his home security, found two males had activated motion sensor cameras.
Police were called to the property about an hour later and, following an investigation, arrested Sansbury on February 15. He has been in custody since.
In a victim impact statement read to the court last month, the homeowner wrote the invasion occurred after he had fallen asleep on his couch following his birthday celebrations.
“I had just finished eating a late-night snack in my backyard and headed back inside to watch an English Premier League game in my front lounge room,” a prosecutor read to the court. “I had just fallen asleep for a short time when the break-in took place.
“Our home is our sanctuary – a safe place on a great street with wonderful neighbours.
“I find it very hard to sleep at night – I jump to my feet with every noise I hear.
“I find I have let my family down as I did not protect my home (and) I feel like I have failed them.”
On Wednesday, the court heard Sansbury was “extremely remorseful” and had written a “considerate” apology letter to his victim.
They chose not to read it.
Judge Handshin sentenced Sansbury to two years and three months imprisonment with a non-parole period of 15 months – backdated to July 29, 2024.
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Originally published as Jacob Robert Sansbury, 24, sentenced after wild home invasion to steal money for drugs
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