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86-year-old John Burke was headbutted and fatally injured in his own home while trying to protect his 91-year-old wife. Ashley Malcolm broke into the couple's Hackney flat in the middle of the night and spent over ninety minutes searching through their belongings. The 40-year-old prolific burglar left with a shopping trolley full of items before returning hours later to steal again. During the raid, he headbutted 86-year-old John Burke, fracturing his nose and causing a fatal brain injury. His wife Peggy, who was 91 at the time and lives with dementia, slept through the entire ordeal. A carer found Mr Burke injured the next morning, but a hospital doctor initially sent him home after failing to spot the internal bleeding. His son Sean discovered him unconscious on his bedroom floor the following day, and he later died in hospital. "My dad did not deserve to die in such a way; he had earned the right to pass away from natural causes in his own silent way," his son told the court. "He was the man who showed me that hard work, respect, good manners, and a good heart would always pay off. I will never forget that day when I found him lying on his bedroom floor, non-responsive to my touch and calls to wake up." Within hours of the attack, Malcolm targeted a nearby care home and tried to break into another flat, where he hit a resident with a bicycle pump. He has now been jailed at the Old Bailey for 18 years, with an extended licence period of five years