A BLACKPOOL career burglar was jailed for life at the Old Bailey this week for murdering the owner of a house he was burgling.
John Johnson, who had 43 previous burglary convictions, stabbed homeowner John Pettit with a screwdriver after he was discovered in the Pettits' £350,000 home in Pinner, Middlesex, in October last year.
Johnson, aged 45, of Charles Street, had travelled from Blackpool to burgle houses in "quiet and affluent" Pinner. But while he was burgling the Pettits' home, Mr Pettit, aged 60, returned with his wife and caught Johnson in their home. A chase ensued and Mr Pettit cornered him in the garden.
Johnson, who has convictions dating back to his teens, stabbed Mr Pettit, aged 60, in the heart with a 14in screwdriver. Mr Pettit died almost immediately.
The jury of six men and six women at the Old Bailey returned a unanimous guilty verdict.
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