A DESPICABLE BURGLAR WHO RAIDED HIS GIRLFRIEND’S H

A DESPICABLE BURGLAR WHO RAIDED HIS GIRLFRIEND’S HOME, ESCAPED
FROM CUSTODY AND WAS ON THE RUN FOR TWO YEARS BEFORE AGAIN TURNING TO

CRIME, HAS BEEN JAILED FOR 21 MONTHS.

REDHILL MAN ALBERT VAN DYK, 36, WHO PLEADED GUILTY TO

BURGLARY AND BLACKMAIL, WAS GIVEN ‘AN EXCEPTIONALLYREDUCED

SENTENCE’ BY AN OLD BAILEY JUDGE WHO TOLD HIM: ‘IT DOES LOOK
AS THOUGH YOU MAY AT LAST BE MAKING AN EFFORT.

‘
THE JUDGE HAD HEARD THAT WHILE ON THE LOOSE VAN DYK HELPED A
MAN WHO WAS BEING MUGGED, ‘PREVENTING HIM FROM LOSING HIS MONEY AND
BEING INJURED.

‘
THE RESCUED MAN EVEN TOOK VAN DYK INTO HIS WALWORTH ROAD HOME
SO THAT THE ESCAPEE COULD ‘LOOK AFTER HIM.

‘
BUT THREE YEARS AGO VAN DYK WAS MUCH LESS HELPFUL TOWARDS THE
PUBLIC.

MR SIMON SMITH, PROSECUTING, TOLD THE COURT THAT ON
FEBRUARY 2, 1983 HE AND OTHERS ROBBED THE TILLEY FAMILY HOME
IN WRAYLANDS DRIVE, RIEGATE, SURREY.

THEIR #3000 HAUL INCLUDED DIAMOND RINGS AND TWO 12-BORE

SHOTGUNS, THE COURT HEARD.

MR SMITH TOLD THE JUDGE THAT VAN DYK WAS LIVING AT THE TIME
WITH A GIRL 16 YEARS HIS JUNIOR IN WOODLANDS ROAD, REDHILL.

AND ON MAY 16 THAT YEAR, WHEN HE WAS ON BAIL FOR THE PREVIOUS
OFFENCE, THE CHEEKY THIEF BROKE INTO THE HOUSE OF HER FAMILY IN
GREAT GOODWIN DRIVE, MERROW, NEAR GUILDFORD, WHILE THEY WERE ON
HOLIDAY.

WITH THE GIRL HELPING, HIM VAN DYK STOLE A TELEVISION, VIDEO,
TWO MUSIC CENTRES AND CAMERAS, VALUED AT #2,000, THE COURT HEARD.

THE 17 YEAR OLD GIRL, WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN A CARE
HOSTEL WHEN SHE SET UP HOME WITH HER OLDER LOVER, WAS PUT ON
PROBATION THAT YEAR.

VAN DYK TOLD POLICE AT THE TIME: ‘SHE HAD VERY LITTLE
CHOICE BECAUSE SHE DOES WHAT I TELL HER.

‘
HE HAD NOT BEEN DEALT WITH BY THE COURTS WHEN HE ESCAPED
IN JUNE 1983 ON THE WAY TO HOSPITAL.

HE REMAINED UNDETECTED FOR
TWO-AND-A-HALF YEARS, WHEN HE AGAIN TURNED TO CRIME.

IN DECEMBER LAST YEAR HE OVERHEARD A YOUNG PORTSMOUTH BOY
BRAGGING IN A LONDON PUB THAT HE HAD USED A BARCLAYCARD SOMEONE
GAVE HIM TO GET A LOT OF MONEY.

VAN DYK FOLLOWED 19-YEAR-OLD CRAIG LITZA TO A CALL BOX AND
FALSELY ACCUSED HIM OF HAVING A STOLEN BARCLAYCARD.

HE THREATENED TO
PHONE THE POLICE IF HE WAS NOT GIVEN MONEY, THE COURT HEARD.

HE THEN GRABBED THE CARD AND #500 CASH AND RAN OFF INTO THE
NIGHT.

THREE WEEKS LATER LITZA, FROM THE EMSWORTH AREA IN
PORTSMOUTH, SPOTTED THE THIEF IN ANOTHER PUB IN LONDON AND VAN
DYK WAS ARRESTED.

HE TOLD OFFICERS THAT THE CARD HAD BEEN ‘GOBBLED UP BY A
MACHINE’ AND HE HAD SPENT ALL THE MONEY, ‘MOSTLY ON DRINK.

‘
THE COURT HEARD THAT VAN DYK HAD VARIOUS PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS
FOR ROBBERY, ASSAULT CAUSING ACTUAL BODILY HARM AND THEFT.

HE WAS A SELF-EMPLOYED DECORATOR WHILST IN REDHILL, BUT WORKED
AS A BARMAN AND GENERAL PUB HELP WHILE HE WAS ON THE RUN IN LONDON.

MR HENRY GRUNWALD, DEFENDING, TOLD THE COURT THAT VAN DYK’S
TRIP TO HOSPITAL IN 1983, WHEN HE ESCAPED, WAS DUE TO HIS BEING

BEATEN UP BY HIS PARTNERS OF THE FIRST ROBBERY.

VAN DYK HAD DISPOSED OF THE STOLEN SHOTGUNS, MUCH TO THE
ANNOYANCE OF HIS ACCOMPLICES, BECAUSE ‘HE WANTED NOTHING WHATSOEVER

TO DO WITH THEM.

‘
BUT COUNSEL ADDED THAT VAN DYK WAS GIVEN A BROKEN JAW FOR HIS
TROUBLES AND ONLY ESCAPED SO THAT HE COULD SETTLE MATTERS WITH HIS
ANGRY PARTNERS, WHO WERE THREATENING HIS FAMILY.

‘HE GOT ANOTHER BEATING, BUT DID DIVERT TROUBLE AWAY FROM HIS
FAMILY,’ SAID MR GRUNWALD.

ENDS.