Each of the nine burglars pictured here have been sent to begin prison sentences during 2026.
The offence of burglary can have a distressing impact on victims, causing some to feel unsafe in their own homes.
Judges have jailed each of these individuals during hearings at Sheffield Crown Court and Sheffield Magistrates’ Court held during the course of this year.
The shortest sentence passed down to those included here was one of 48 weeks, whilst the longest is one of five years, six months.
You can read more detailed court reports on the cases featured here, by following the below links:
- Dozy Sheffield burglar caught out after leaving fingerprints on tin he swiped money from
- Doncaster car thief and heartless burglar jailed in Operation Castle crackdown on thefts
- Sheffield burglar caught sleeping in car he stole
- Burglar Neil Concannon snared by fingerprint found at Sheffield crime scene
- Rotherham burglar with whopping 80 offences targeted vulnerable pensioners in sheltered housing, court hears
- Prolific South Yorkshire burglar caught after police find DNA & bite marks in discarded block of cheese
- Burglar caught climbing into student's Sheffield flat pretended to have lost key
- Sheffield burglar detained by shocked victim who returned home and found intruder in bedroom
5. Neil Concannon: Jailed for 48 weeks in March 2026
Neil Concannon, of Crabtree Lane, Sheffield, targeted the same coffee shop in Wharf Street, near Victoria Quays, during the space of less than two months. Overnight on January 22, he forced entry to the Sheffield city centre shop by smashing a glass panel before stealing around £100 in cash as well as swiping a tip jar with approximately £30 inside. Crime Scene Investigator found Concannon's fingerprint on the till. The 42-year-old returned at 1am on March 12 and again stole a tip jar containing cash. Concannon was quickly identified for a second time by an officer viewing footage of the incident. The clothing Concannon was wearing during the offence was matched with a CCTV image of him five minutes after he committed the burglary. He was charged with two counts of burglary and pleaded guilty when he appeared at Sheffield Magistrates' Court on Thursday, March 12, 2026, when he was jailed for 48 weeks | SYP
6. Michael Hirst: Jailed for three years, four months in April 2026
Michael Hirst, aged 53, swiped jewellery, cash, bank cards and mobile phones from his victims during a spate of three home raids in a fortnight - all committed at a 50s-plus sheltered housing complex. Hirst, Sheffield Crown Court heard, has around 80 offences on his criminal record, 40 of which were for dishonesty and 14 for burglary. He had claimed the latest burglaries were not targeted or planned as he had been sleeping rough in some bushes opposite the over-50s housing complex on Kenneth Street in Rotherham town centre for some time. However Judge Michael Slater said he was “quite satisfied” Hirst was “fully aware” that his victims were elderly and vulnerable. He told Hirst: “You first appeared before the courts as a teenager when you were 14 in 1987. Between then and 2009 you’ve appeared before the court virtually every year, save when you were serving a custodial sentence.” Hirst’s offending was a result of his drug use, the court heard, however he was now clean after being remanded into jail. The burglaries were all committed while Hirst was on bail for a shed break-in the previous August in which he stole tools worth £1,000, a suitcase, a car battery and a hedge trimmer. Hirst, of Rolls Crescent, Manor Farm estate, Rawmarsh, was jailed for three years and four months. He admitted burglary. | SYP
7. Shane Walker and Barry Schofield: Jailed for eight years, six months in January 2026
During Shane Walker’s latest spate of burglaries, he stole several irreplaceable items including war medals and an engagement ring a widow had kept safe for more than 60 years. High-value items including cars, mountain bikes, a work van and expensive jewellery were also taken from the homes where Walker struck in Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster. But Walker, aged 38, left a trail of evidence behind at most of the break-ins, all of which were committed between August and October 2025. This included DNA and bite marks in a block of cheese he stole from the fridge at one of the homes he targeted. The court heard how in most of the five burglaries, Walker(left) gained access to homes by smashing panes of glass in windows or doors. Walker’s co-defendant, Barry Schofield, was an accomplice in two of the burglaries, one of which was disturbed and cut short after an alarm at the property was activated. Walker, formerly of Gosling Gate Road, Goldthorpe, Rotherham, pleaded guilty to five counts of burglary and two counts of theft. Schofield, 46, of no fixed abode but formerly of Thurnscoe, Barnsley, pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary and three counts of fraud by false representation - relating to purchases made on stolen bank cards. During a January 2026 hearing, Judge David Dixon jailed both men, handing Walker a prison sentence of five years, six months, and passing down a term of three years to Schofield. | SYP
8. John Dickinson: Jailed for two years, four months in January 2026
John Dickinson, aged 29, of no fixed address, was seen to be loitering in the courtyard of a student accommodation building in Boston Street, near Highfield, on the evening of 9 December 2024. He was confronted by a witness who had seen him climbing through the window of a ground floor flat, but Dickinson told them he had simply forgotten his key card. Not satisfied with his version of events, the witness reported Dickinson to security who called police to the scene. Dickinson was arrested and closed circuit TV pictures showed him trying door handles and windows at several flats. The witness had also taken a picture of him climbing through the window of the home he gained access to. Dickinson was charged with burglary, intent to steal and criminal damage. He appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday, January 14, 2026 when he was jailed for two years and four months | SYP