EXCLUSIVE: Former freemason who beat woman with crowbar in botched burglary jailed for 12 years

JAILED: Sam Vinden was sentenced to 12 years in prison

A FORMER freemason, who broke a woman’s arm and a leg with a crowbar during an attempted burglary, was today jailed for 12 years. Sam Vinden, 45, who admitted the violent aggravated burglary, which also saw the woman’s teeth smashed in, was convicted in September, but the sentencing

SNAPPED: Vinden outside a court hearing in 2009

was repeatedly put back while the court awaited a psychological report.

Vinden went to the victim, aged in her 30s', home in Farcet, near Peterborough, with two sons at about 6.30am on August 29 2017. Vinden, who has lived on a series of traveller sites across Essex, Cambridgeshire and

DISPUTE: Vinden (pointing) during a 2009 civil land dispute at which armed police attended

Suffolk, smashed windows, damaged the front door and once inside made demands of the victim before launching the attack.

Today, sitting at Cambridge Crown Court, Judge David Farrell QC handed out a 12-year prison sentence.

Vinden is likely to serve half the sentence before being released on licence.

This could be as soon as late 2023 as he has been remanded in custody since August 2017. Detective Constable Stuart Miller said: “This was a vicious attack which caused the victim significant injuries as well as a substantial amount of psychological trauma.”