Dagenham burglar poured kettles of boiling water over elderly couple
Daniel Wallace, 32, of Thetford Road, Dagenham, pleaded guilty today (February 23) at Maidstone Crown Court to aggravated burglary and two counts of GBH. Picture: Kent Police. - Credit: Archant
A vicious burglar who poured kettles of boiling water over an elderly couple faces years behind bars for his part in the “barbaric” crime.
Daniel Wallace, of Thetford Road, Dagenham, today pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and two counts of grievous bodily harm after he and an accomplice tortured their victims in a prolonged assault.
Wallace, 32, and Kacey Adams, 33, of Ilford, tied up the couple after smashing their way into their home in Halstead, Kent, before pouring boiling water over their heads and bodies.
They also beat and threatened the couple – both in their sixties – with a knife and a hot iron.
The callous burglars, who made their plea in Maidstone Crown Court today, eventually fled at about 11pm on April 26 with a quantity of stolen cash and jewellery, leaving their victims badly beaten and burnt.
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The woman suffered 30 per cent burns to her body and required treatment in an intensive care unit for a number of months, while her partner was also seriously injured.
Det Insp James Derham, of the Kent and Essex serious crime directorate described the crimes as “barbaric and cruel beyond words”.
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“The elderly woman had two kettles of boiling water poured onto her, inflicting horrific burns and injuries, which could quite easily have proved fatal,” he said. “The psychological scars that both victims are continuing to deal with are unimaginable.”
Wallace and Adams were arrested on May 31 at Heathrow Airport, where they had returned from a shopping trip in Dubai.
“This is an extremely rare case and one that has shocked a very experienced investigation team. I would like to thank the victims for their courage and assistance in helping bring these men to justice and I hope when these two men are sentenced it will at least provide some comfort and closure.”
Sentencing has been adjourned to a later date at Chelmsford Crown Court.
