Siblings burgled homes on Christmas Eve then drove into Rufforth Institute

Prolific burglar Luke Watson Ellerby, 36, of no fixed address, and his 28-year-old sister, Dominique Ellerby, caused £50,000 of damage when they drove the vehicle into the Rufforth Institute, near York.

Earlier that evening the pair broke into two houses.

In one they ripped open Christmas presents and stole priceless family jewellery, while in the other home they terrified an eight-year-old child who heard them smashing their way into her parents’ house.

The siblings both pleaded guilty to two burglaries and Dominique Ellerby pleaded guilty to taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent.

Luke Watson Ellerby also pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking, driving while disqualified and driving with no insurance.

Tamara Pawson, prosecuting, told York Crown Court that Luke Ellerby began the night of destruction by smashing the window of a conservatory at a home in Acomb, in the early hours of Christmas Eve, while the two owners, both aged 78, were away on holiday.

His sister initially waited outside before joining him inside the house and stealing a 40 inch television, a gold and diamond necklace, a gold signet ring, a 60-year-old gold signature ring, a gold topaz ring and a sapphire ring.

The pair ripped opened Christmas presents and searched every drawer in the house before leaving in the couple’s Vauxhall Insignia car with Luke Watson Ellerby behind the wheel.

He hit and damaged an Audi A4 in Rosedale Avenue before travelling along the B1224 with his sister in the passenger seat.

Shortly after coming into the village of Rufforth the 36-year-old hit two walls and crashed the car through the side of Rufforth Institute, causing £50,000 of damage and forcing the building to close until repairs could be completed.

The pairs got out of the car and walked a third of a mile to Rufforth, where they broke into the second home.

A family, including two parents, an eight-year-old and two children under three were all asleep upstairs.

The court heard the mother and father were woken by noises downstairs and were “terrified”.

The father went downstairs to investigate and the mother told her daughter, who had heard a window being smashed, to stay in her room.

Before they were disturbed, the pair ripped open Christmas presents, broke into a shed and stole a white rucksack, bike lights and disk brakes, and took a PlayStation 4, iPad mini, Samsung Galaxy tablet, and a Pandora bracelet.

Miss Pawson said the siblings had loaded some presents into the family’s car, but fled the home on foot.

The pair were spotted by police walking along a road back into York and Dominique Ellerby was arrested.

When she was being transported back to York, she tried to set fire to her jacket, and officers had to take her to York Hospital to be treated for a suspected drug overdose.

Her brother fled across fields and was arrested a short time later trying to climb a fence into a farm.

Kevin Blount, for Luke Watson Ellerby, said he had 33 convictions for 118 offences and was first convicted for burglary in 1997.

Mr Blount said Ellerby had lost a close friend before the burglaries and he “fell apart and his life went on a downward spiral”.

Neil Cutte, for Dominique Ellerby, said she was ashamed about what happened and expressed genuine remorse.

Mr Cutte added she had been introduced to crack cocaine for the first time that night and was not used to it.

Recorder John Thackray jailed Luke Watson Ellerby for six years and banned him from driving for five years.

His sister, of Viking Road, Acomb, was jailed for three years.

He told them: “It is often said that people sometimes never recover from burglaries and this court has heard first hand how that appears in this case.

“People often describe feeling violated and never view their home in the same way.”

Addressing Luke Watson Ellerby separately, he told him: “You are 36 years of age and have a bad record for dishonesty. You are an extremely determined and prolific burglar.”