A Nigerian former care worker, Ediongseyene Essien, has been sentenced to eight years in prison in the United Kingdom for a series of burglary and robbery offences involving elderly and vulnerable people in Liverpool.
Essien was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, August 28, after being convicted of the offences. He received three years for burglary and five years for robbery, with the sentences to run consecutively.
According to Merseyside Police, Essien will serve 30 per cent of his sentence before being deported from the UK. A restraining order has also been imposed to protect his six victims.
Essien had worked as a carer until March 9, when his employers suspended him following allegations of theft.
Police said that the following day, he carried out four separate burglaries in the L6 area, targeting elderly and vulnerable people, including some individuals he had previously cared for.
In one of the incidents, Essien allegedly stole a bank card from a vulnerable blind man and used it to make several transactions in the area.
He later entered the bedroom of an elderly resident after gaining access to another property, although nothing was believed to have been stolen.
Police said he also entered the home of a severely disabled person at about 7:30pm that same day, but again, nothing was believed to have been taken.
Later that evening, at about 9pm, Essien reportedly smashed the rear patio door of an elderly couple’s home. The couple watched as he entered their living room and took a wallet containing cash.
Essien was arrested on March 16 and conditionally released on bail while investigations continued.
However, police said he committed two further robberies on May 15.
At about 2:20pm, he reportedly went to the home of a vulnerable man with several health conditions, forced his way inside and took cash from the living room.
Later that day, at about 5pm, Essien approached a vulnerable woman carrying a walking stick in the Fairfield area and forcibly grabbed her handbag, taking cash and bank cards.
He was arrested two days later, on May 17, and charged with the two robbery offences before being remanded in custody.
Detective Inspector Kevin O’Rourke of Merseyside Police described Essien’s conduct as “reprehensible”, particularly because some of the people he targeted had previously been under his care.
“Essien committed a series of reprehensible burglary and robbery offences against people he had previously cared for, and other vulnerable victims,” O’Rourke said.
“It is frankly beyond comprehension for someone with this job to go on and target those same people, and then push and grab other elderly and unwell victims in his desperation for money.”
O’Rourke said the offences had caused considerable distress to the victims and thanked them for their cooperation with the investigation.
“Essien has today been given a significant prison sentence, which we hope brings a measure of comfort to those he harmed,” he added.
The police officer also said CCTV and doorbell cameras had played an important role in the investigation and encouraged members of the public to report suspicious activity captured on such devices.
Essien’s eight-year sentence consists of three years for burglary and five years for robbery, to be served consecutively. He will serve 30 per cent of the sentence before deportation, while the restraining order will remain in place in relation to his six victims.