Teen threatened to stab mum in neck with knife in terrifying Dewsbury home incident

Jake Walker, then 18, has been locked up for his part in the theft of a Calderdale man’s “irreplaceable” vinyl record collection.

Along with an older accomplice he got into the victims’ flat using a key and made repeated visits to the address during the night to steal two televisions, games consoles, clothing and the collection of 200 vinyl records.

Prosecutor Anthony Moore told Bradford Crown Court that the complainant had been out at work that night and returned home to find drawers pulled open and items strewn around his flat.

Mr Moore said the biggest loss was the record collection which had been amassed over many years and was valued at several thousands of pounds.

The court heard that CCTV footage captured the two burglars making five or six trips back to the premises and leaving with bags of stolen property.

Following the burglary the victim alerted local record shops and a dealer contacted the police to say a man had come into his store trying to sell records.

Walker, who is now 19, was arrested in January last year and when police searched the address where he was staying they found five of the records.

Walker, of no fixed abode, initially denied involvement in the burglary, but he eventually admitted the offence at court hearing last year.

After being released under investigation Walker was involved in a terrifying incident at his mum’s home in Dewsbury when he “flipped” and threatened to stab her in the neck with a knife.

Police were called to the address and had to calm the situation before Walker’s mum was able to open the door and let them in to arrest him.

The teenager accepted having the knife, but said he never intended to a carry out his threat.

A month after that incident police were called to the home of Walker’s father after he again produced a knife during an argument.

Walker pleaded guilty to further charges of making a threat to kill, criminal damage and possession of a knife in relation to those two incidents.

In total Walker was today locked up for three years in a young offenders institution.

Judge Andrew Hatton said the records were to all intents and purposes irreplaceable and the burglary had been a particularly “mean and unpleasant offence”.

In passing sentence he said he had to bear in mind Walker’s age and the fact that he did have autism which had not been diagnosed until he was 15.

The judge told Walker that the threat to kill his mother must have been a terrifying experience for her after all that she had done for him over the years.