Notorious Albanian criminal's despicable brother jailed after 11:30pm raid leaves footballer and his heavily pregnant wife in distress
The brother of a notorious Albanian criminal has been put behind bars himself after a late night attempted break-in left a former international footballer and his pregnant wife suffering 'huge emotional distress'. Scott Hogan, who has played for Aston Villa and Brentford, was awoken at his Cheshire home by torch light being shone through their bedroom window after burglars scaled trellising, a court heard today. The 33-year-old forward – who played 12 times for the Republic of Ireland - gave chase, but the three-strong burglary gang managed to escape. However police traced and arrested 28-year-old Denis Puka and Erisjan Laska, 29, with the pair later admitting targeting a string of high-end properties.
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Late-night break-in at luxury Cheshire home reveals a well-planned burglary spree
Last June’s attempted break-in was part of a string of ‘well-planned and organised’ raids, Chester Crown Court was told. The gang targeted mansions and country houses set within extensive grounds in a bid to avoid getting caught, forcing entry to the first floor by scaling drainpipes, using ladders, or standing on each other’s shoulders. Laska and Puka had been part of a three-man team but the third person had never been traced, prosecutor Nardeen Nemat said. They equipped themselves with masks and tools including crowbars, with Mr Hogan’s home near Northwich the last to be targeted. After scaling a fence, one of the would-be burglars stood on another's shoulders and climbed up trellising on the house to reach the Hogans' bedroom window before being disturbed. The trio used a car with three different sets of cloned numberplates in a bid to avoid detection, and communicated with walkie-talkies. But on most occasions they were disturbed, and are only known to have succeeded in stealing two watches during the spree, a Rolex and an Omega. Police traced the car after reviewing CCTV and found the tools while the search history on their mobile phones showed they had looked up directions to the target addresses.
The brothers behind the raids: Dorian Puka’s notoriety and Denis Puka’s conviction trail
Laska, from Sheffield, who is married to a British woman, and Puka, of Crediton in Devon, who has been granted indefinite leave to remain, admitted conspiracy to commit seven burglaries in a two day period. Laska has a previous conviction for driving offences while Puka has not been in court before, with his barrister saying he came from a 'decent family'. 'His mother is shocked by what he has done,' said Phil Astbury, defending Puka. 'He is a young man of positive good character with a good work record who contributes to the community in every way.' Both were jailed for four years and eight months for what Judge Steven Everett branded a ‘disgusting and despicable’ burglary spree which had brought ‘devastation and huge upset’ to victims. He told the pair: ‘This was as well planned and organised set of burglaries I have ever seen. High end properties were targeted and you hoped that would allow you to steal very high value items. You targeted large mansion houses and estates because you thought their owners would be vulnerable because they were in the middle of nowhere. It is important you understand the sheer devastation caused by your selfish and despicable acts.’ Puka faces deportation proceedings following his release.
Victim impact and official response: Hogan’s fatherhood fear and final words at sentencing
‘It has caused huge emotional distress to myself and my wife who is heavily pregnant,’ Hogan said in a victim impact statement. ‘My career as a professional footballer is very short. I have now used money I was saving to buy a whole new security system to ensure my wife feels safe as I am not at home for extended periods of time due to my career. When I am not there, I fear for my wife and child. It is a nightmare for any father and mother. It is extremely dispiriting when you work hard in life to get a nice house only to make it a target for others to exploit.’ Hogan, who now plays for Milton Keynes Dons, added: ‘This is a nightmare for any father and mother.’ After the sentencing, a Cheshire Police spokesperson said: ‘Puka and Laska thought they could travel hundreds of miles to Cheshire to trick our officers and get away with this series of burglaries – but they seriously underestimated us. The fact that they have both pleaded guilty and have now been sentenced demonstrates the amount of evidence which was stacked against them, thanks to our dedicated teams who worked tirelessly to track them down and secure charges.’ A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘We will not allow foreign criminals and illegal migrants to exploit our laws. We are reforming human rights laws and replacing the broken appeals system so we can scale up deportations. All Foreign National Offenders who receive a prison sentence in the UK are referred for deportation at the earliest opportunity.’
