AN 80-year old man whose north Belfast home was burgled was too afraid to contact police, a court has heard.
The house was one of four properties targeted in Belfast and Limavady in July 2018.
Details emerged during the sentencing of 20-year old Sheree Rose Mackin, who was described as "not the chief organiser, planner or motivator" in the spree but who was "willing to go along with the others and play an active role".
Mackin, from Ballycarry Street in north Belfast, pleaded guilty to three burglaries and one attempted burglary.
She appeared at Belfast Crown Court via videolink with Hydebank Wood and was told by Judge Stephen Fowler that she will spend seven-and-a-half months in custody, followed by a 14 months on licence.
Two other co-accused were not in court today.
Judge Fowler said Mackin and a male broke into a house on Belfast's Hogarth Street at around 6.45am on July 30 2018 and stole items including a Playstation, a laptop and a drill.
The occupant found a Post Office card on a bedroom floor, and when police contacted the owner it emerged it belonged to an elderly neighbour.
When officers went to his Glenrosa Street home, he said he had been burgled at around 6am but was too afraid to contact police.
The distressed pensioner said he had woken to discover two people in his bedroom and when he asked what they were doing, the male replied "We're breaking into your home".
The pair stole £1,023, a watch and the Post Office card.
Mackin was forensically linked to both scenes and she and her co-accused were later captured on CCTV pushing a shopping trolley containing items including the stolen drill.
Later that day, the pair and second man travelled to Limavady in an orange van.
At 5pm, a woman heard a noise in the bedroom of her Seacoast Road home and saw Mackin and a man in the room.
She ran from her house to a neighbour's and after the pair left in an orange van, she discovered an Amazon Fire Stick and medication had been taken.
When the owner of a second property in Seacoast Road returned home, she also found her bedroom window had been opened.
The van was stopped on the outskirts of Limavady and all three occupants, including Mackin, were arrested.
Judge Fowler said the offences were carried out with an "arrogance and indifference" to the impact on their victims.
However, he added that after reading reports on Mackin, who was 18 at the time, it was clear she was remorseful.
He said she had started using drugs at an early age and at the time of offending was on a "downward spiral of drugs and homelessness".