A 38-YEAR-OLD woman who burgled her friend’s home and stole his valuable model railway collection from the attic has been jailed for two years.

Catherine Petty packed the precious collection, which had been built up over many years, into suitcases and shopping bags before travelling with her accomplice Shazad Manzoor in a hire car to Widnes where they sold the stolen property to a specialist dealer for £3,700.

Bradford Crown Court heard today that the collection, which included some rare items, was estimated to be worth between £7,000 and £10,000 by its owner Andrew Vahter and he had lost about three-quarters of the collection as a result of the burglary last May. Prosecutor Camille Morland said the rarest items were sold on quickly once they were put on the market.

Jailing Petty, who had no previous convictions, Recorder David Kelly highlighted the fact that the complainant had been kind enough to give her a temporary home at his house in Baildon during a troubled period in her life.

“You rewarded that kindness and trust by stealing his precious model railway collection,” the judge told Petty.

The judge said Mr Vahter had acquired an enviable model railway collection and had been collecting items since the age of eight. The court heard that a significant degree of planning went into the burglary and Manzoor had waited outside the unoccupied house for about an hour while Petty packed up the collection and other items including two laptops. In Widnes she claimed the collection belonged to ex-husband who had agreed she could sell it to clear debts.

Petty, of Beech Road, Odsal, Bradford, pleaded guilty last November, at the first opportunity, to the burglary charge.

Manzoor, 33, of Mansfield Road, Manningham, Bradford, had denied charges of burglary and handling stolen goods, but a jury found him guilty on both charges. Manzoor was sentenced to three years in jail for his role.

Barrister Jayne Beckett, for Petty, said the background to the offence began in London where her client and her husband were being hounded by unlicensed money lenders. She explained that Petty moved up to Bradford, but the debt followed them and she tried to pay off the lenders in London with money from unscrupulous people in this area.

Miss Beckett said Petty ended up with a debt of £4,000 in her own name and she was subjected to a direct threat against her and her family. She said her client’s mental state had deteriorated since she offended and Petty now suffered from depression and anxiety. Miss Beckett said Petty was “wracked with guilt” because she had hurt so many people. Recorder Kelly said the burglary had been very well planned and involved items of sentimental value to the complainant. The judge said: “In your case Miss Petty it is aggravated by the fact that it was a gross breach of the trust and kindness Mr Vahter had shown.”