Baroness Karren Brady has spoken of the terror she felt after a burglar targeted her £6,000,000 London home four times in 16 hours.
The Apprentice star and aide to Lord Alan Sugar said the series of break-ins caused a ‘profound impact’ on her and her family, and she now struggles with sleeping and being left home alone.
The 55-year-old appeared revealed her terror over the burglaries in a victim impact statement read in court today.
According to The Sun, Baroness Brady said she and former footballer husband Paul Peschisolido, as well as their two children, have been left paranoid about noises or movements near their home and that her feeling of safety has been ‘shattered’.
Gregory Adnane, 41, repeatedly broke into a basement storage area of their Belgravia home in May last year, the court heard.
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He stole cycling tops, a £1,700 Prada bag and £2,572 worth of Amazon parcels, the publication notes.
Adnane broke into the house four times while Baroness Brady was away working.
Baroness Brady asked the court to consider the ‘psychological toll’ of the crimes and the ‘full extent of harm’ to her and her family.
But Adnane walked free and was given an 18-month suspended sentence.
He admitted to two counts of burglary and two of theft.
The Sun claims it emerged he was given a community order for another burglary carried out after the attacks on Baroness Brady’s home.
In the victim impact statement, which was read to the court by a prosecutor, Baroness Brady said: ‘I’m writing this statement to express the profound impact that the burglary has had on me and my family.’
She continued: ‘While some may view burglary as a crime against property, for me it has been a deeply disturbing violation of my personal space, security, and peace of mind.
‘Since the burglary I have felt unsafe in my own home.
‘Knowing that a stranger invaded my personal space, went through my belongings and had total disregard for my privacy has left me feeling vulnerable and unsettled.
‘Before this crime I felt safe in my home. That feeling has now been shattered.’
She said that knowing someone trespassed onto her property four times made her feel as though she was being ‘targeted, watched, and exploited’.
She added: ‘His repeated targeting of my property has changed the way I live my life. What used to feel like a safe and secure space now feels vulnerable.
‘I am not comfortable being at home when I am on my own as I wake up at the slightest noise.
‘I have stepped up my security, I put the alarm on during the day, double-lock the doors and had security lights fitted at considerable cost to me.’
She said she ‘no longer feels comfortable’ leaving her home for extended periods of time, and has ‘become hyper-aware’ of her surroundings and safety when entering or leaving her home.
Baroness Brady said she and her family now ‘often feel paranoid about noises or unfamiliar movements near our house’.
After hearing statements from the prosecuting and defence lawyers, the judge gave Adnane a ‘last chance’, warning him that any breaches of his order would lead to jail time.
The judge said: ‘This was one targeted location and what you have said to the author of the pre-sentence report is that your own analysis of this offence does not really reflect the true nature of what you did.
‘Unquestionably these offences cross the custody threshold.
‘What is plain is that you repeatedly targeted the same premises and it isn’t long between what may start as a spontaneous offence, becomes a string of targeted offences.’
The judge said Adnane would be have been jailed for at least two years imprisonment if the case had gone to trial.
Adnane was sentenced to 18 months jail suspended for 21 months as well as 25 days of rehabilitation activity and 100 hours of unpaid work.
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