The convicted killer who broke into the Holland Park mansion of music mogul Simon Cowell , stealing jewellery worth nearly £1 million while he slept with his partner and their child, has been sentenced.
Career criminal Darren February, 33, faces another eight years behind bars following his sentencing on Wednesday (March 1).
He was captured on CCTV near to the home of The X Factor supremo moments after the burglary on December 4, 2015, just 10 days before killing a motorcyclist while recklessly driving his ex-girlfriend’s car .
Simon Cowell burglary
The reality television judge did not attend the sentencing, but in a victim impact statement read to Isleworth Crown Court by prosecutor Denis Barry, Cowell spoke of the trauma he and his family experienced.
He said: "This incident has caused me great concerns about the security of my family.
"On reflection I am very scared of what could have happened to my son if the burglar had gone into his room.
"I could not bear to think of the consequences and also a lot would have happened if the burglar had come into our room.
"The whole incident has been very traumatic and there is a constant fear that it may be repeated and that it may be worse next time."
Cowell, who has lived at the property in the well-to-do area of the capital for 10 years, said he, his partner and Eric's nannies "have become much more anxious over safety issues relating to my son's care and well-being".
He told of his concern at what could have happened if February had gone into Eric's room.
Cowell said: "My son was in the house that night and I am naturally very concerned over what could have happened if the burglar had entered my son's room, as any parent in the same situation would be."
February's trial heard how the safe had been left open as Ms Silverman wanted to quietly get her jewellery ahead of a flight that morning.
The court heard on Wednesday that around £950,000 worth of property was stolen, of which as much as £830,000 worth is still outstanding.
A security guard at the property admitted he must have been at the toilet at the time of the burglary in the early hours of December 4 2015.
February, who has dozens of convictions for burglaries, and targeted wealthy homes around the Holland park area, was found guilty of the break-in on Monday (February 27) following a trial at the same court.
The court had heard that February had broken into the home through a patio door and stole jewellery worth £950,000, which has never been recovered.
He also took two passports.
Following his latest conviction investigating officer Detective Sergeant James Howarth called the recidivist “a danger to society”.
He said: “It must have been terrifying for the occupants to imagine someone was inside their home while they slept, particularly with a young child in the house.”
On December 14 2015 he crashed a Vauxhall Astra into 52-year-old dad Kenneth Baldwin while driving along St Ann’s Road, also in Holland Park, while driving at speeds approaching 60mph.
CCTV footage afterwards showed him casually talking on the phone and trying to remove evidence linking him to the vehicle in the aftermath of the collision before driving off.
February, who gave his address during that case as Octavia House in North Kensington, admitted causing death by dangerous driving and causing death while driving uninsured.
He was jailed for eight-and-a-half years for killing Mr Baldwin.
He has now been sentenced to a further eight years behind bars for the jewellery theft.
Keep up to date with the latest news in west London via the free getwestlondon app.
You can even set it to receive push notifications for all the breaking news in your area.
Available to download from the App Store or Google Play for Android now!
