THIS is the horrifying moment a family were forced to watch a burglar raid their loved one's home.

Prolific thief John Donakey entered the home of an elderly woman after looking through the window and seeing her asleep on a chair.

The woman's family were alerted to movement from the Ring doorbell and watched the event unfold as they called 999 – but when officers arrived they could not find Donakey.

Footage from live CCTV shows Donakey climbing into the pensioner's home in Cumbria and searching through drawers a few feet away from her.

Donakey, 57, also put on black gloves and went through bags and the woman's purse, reports Manchester Evening News.

Residents told detectives the next day, they had seen an unusual vehicle in the area at the time the crime took place.

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Enquiries were ongoing when detectives spotted the vehicle described and saw Donakey exit it – they arrested him there and then.

Donakey, of Bexhill Gardens, St Helens, was sentenced on Thursday for nine counts of burglary.

He was also found guilty of one offence of going equipped for theft which related to incidents between 2018 and June this year.

Detective Constable Karen Minnion said “Donakey is a prolific burglar who had no issue with entering properties with no regards for the occupants and made excuses for his presence if disturbed.

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"Following his arrest in June 2022 we were able to match his DNA to another burglary in 2020.

"We also looked at historical burglaries with similar circumstances from 2018 in Kendal and the victims were able to identify Donakey as the person who had entered their homes.”

DC Minnion said everyone has the right to feel safe in their own home and said anyone who committed similar offences "will be found and brought to justice".

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