Burglar confronts Alan Ayckbourn in his home then makes off with his iPod

A BURGLAR who sneaked into the Scarborough home of Sir Alan Ayckbourn bumped into the playwright before robbing him of jewellery and his personalised iPod.

Anthony Kelly, 31, wandered into the five-floor building looking for valuables when he walked straight past the 71-year-old writer and director, who assumed he was visiting a member of his house staff.

But father-of-one Kelly, who has previous convictions for burglary, went on to help himself to thousands of pounds worth of jewellery belonging to Sir Alan's wife Heather.

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He also tool Sir Alan's personalised black iPod which is inscribed Sir Alan Ayckbourn plus cash and a rucksack.

Police later found Kelly's fingerprints on a letterbox and traced him to his mother's address nearby.

Jailing him for 18 months at York Crown Court on Monday, Judge John Swanson said: "You entered a large property where this very successful man entertains many visitors and friends and family.

"You came across him and he assumed you were visiting someone in the house so there was no confrontation, which is a mercy. In fact, he was facing an intruder in his own home."

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Prosecuting, David Garnett revealed that Kelly had already robbed 2,000 worth of goods from a flat in the town on August 13 last year when he entered the Ayckbourn home five days later.

It is thought that he did not force entry and merely found an open door. Mr Garnett said: "He found himself within the five-floor property, which is three houses combined into one, and Sir Alan came face to face with him.

"But the property enjoys very many visitors, and Sir Alan assumed the defendant was visiting one of the property's many housekeepers and didn't think any more of it until later when he discovered items were missing.

"This clearly caused Sir Alan and his wife some distress, particularly Sir Alan who then realised he had come face to face with the intruder."

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Kelly's haul included two of Lady Ayckbourn's earrings 2,500 plus necklaces, brooches and gold rings. He also grabbed cash, plus a rucksack containing a small amount of cash and the iPod.

Mitigating, Taryn Turner said: "These were essentially opportunistic strikes but they were successful in that they secured property of a financial and sentimental value. He sold the items on because he was desperately short of money at the time."

She added that Kelly, originally from London, had been employed briefly as a store worker in the capital but had "succumbed to temptation" to steal while staying at his mother's home in Scarborough.

He pleaded guilty to two burglaries and one charge of handling stolen goods. He had previously been jailed for similar offences in 1995 and 1997.

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Sir Alan lives in Longwestgate House which was formerly owned by Stephen Joseph who established his theatre in Scarborough.

Sir Alan was Artistic Director at the theatre for nearly 40 years and worked closely with Joseph. His home is just yards from the beach and a short walk from Scarborough Castle.