Greenwich burglar jailed for over two years

A Greenwich man has been sentenced to over two years in prison for a residential burglary. Lee Dwyer-Clark, 34, admitted to breaking into a property on Devonshire Drive on June 7 and attempting to steal a Volkswagen van. He was found by police in the driver's seat of the vehicle, which was still parked outside the home.

The Burglary

The homeowner was alerted to the incident shortly after midnight by his dog's persistent barking. He discovered that five or six coats were missing from his coat rack and then noticed his van's lights flashing outside. Police were called to the scene. Officers located Dwyer-Clark in the driver's seat of the van. He initially claimed the vehicle belonged to a friend, but this was later found to be untrue, as reported by prosecutor Roshani Wanigasinghe.

During police interview, Dwyer-Clark stated he was under the influence of drugs and suggested he might have been coerced into committing the burglary, though he could not name any individuals involved. His defence counsel, Brian Richardson, cited "unfortunate circumstances" and a struggle to obtain medication for his heroin dependency as contributing factors. However, Judge Ben Gumpert KC did not accept these as significant mitigating factors.

Previous Convictions and Sentence

Dwyer-Clark, who resides on McMillan Street in Deptford, has a history of 14 previous convictions encompassing 37 offences. These include multiple instances of theft and carrying a knife. In November of the previous year, he received a suspended sentence for handling stolen goods. Judge Gumpert KC sentenced Dwyer-Clark to two years imprisonment for the burglary. He also activated five months of the previously suspended sentence, resulting in a total jail term of over two years.