Simplify this
Stephanie Beacham feared for her life when she was confronted by a hammer-wielding burglar inside her home.
The 76-year-old ‘Dynasty’ star was left terrified in October 2022 when she came face-to-face with David Wilson, who had smashed his way into her London house and threatened her with a crowbar as he demanded she hand over her money and jewellery.
She has opened up about the ordeal in a new interview, telling Mail Plus: “He held a crowbar over my head, saying: ‘Give me your money. Give me your jewellery. Don’t look at me. Don’t look at me’.
“And then he said: ‘I wish you weren’t here.’ That was not too good because when I heard that I thought ‘oh. In a minute, I’m going to die’.”
Stephanie went on to reveal she was left cowering in her bathroom as Wilson ransacked her home and it made her think of Jodie Foster’s character in ‘Panic Room’, who locks herself and her daughter away during a home invasion.
She added: “I don’t know why I thought of Jodie Foster and what she does in that film [‘Panic Room’]. But do you know what I did? I picked up a sponge that was on the end of a plastic stick and I was holding it like some sort of weapon.
“I mean, what exactly was I going to do? Wash his face?”
Wilson was convicted of aggravated burglary and sentenced to 10 years and five months in prison for the break-in at the actress’ home as well as another burglary at a house in Sheffield.
In a statement to Southwark crown court in London, Prosecutor John Traversi detailed the effect the break-in had on the actress, revealing she was left terrified and struggled to learn her lines.
He told the court: “What she considered her very safe and cosy cottage, she no longer feels safe. She found it very hard to learn her lines, she found it very hard to concentrate and without the support of those at work with her, she felt she may have had difficulty fulfilling her contract.
“She was frightened to return home, to a home a she had always regarded as safe. She always considered herself strong, mentally, and this made her feel old and vulnerable.”
to B1 level, using straightforward language. Aim for 300-500 words.”
Vocabulary List:
- burglar (noun): A person who enters a building illegally with intent to commit a crime, especially theft.
- terrified (adjective): Feeling or showing extreme fear.
- ransacked (verb): To search a place or container in a violent and careless way, often causing damage.
- convicted (verb): To decide officially in a law court that someone is guilty of a crime.
- sentence (noun): The punishment given to someone found guilty of a crime.
- effect (noun): A change that is a result or consequence of an action or other cause.
