Rotherham duo who burgled houses for children's toys and used stolen bank cards for booze jailed

Two men who burgled houses across South Yorkshire stealing everything from jewellery to children's toys have been jailed.

Shane Walker, 36, of Aldred Street, Rotherham, and Lewis Merritt, 27, of Station Road, Bolton Upon Dearne, Barnsley, targeted addresses in the Brampton and Manvers area in a spree lasting six months.

They stole various items including electronics, children’s toys, bank cards, money and irreplaceable jewellery.

They also used bank cards taken from homes to fraudulently buy alcohol from stores.

However, this reportedly was their downfall, as Rotherham Neighbourhood Crime Team and Rotherham CID were able to track them down 48 hours after one of these purchases.

They were brought before Sheffield Crown Court on November 24. Walker, who pleaded guilty to burglary dwelling, handling stolen goods and two counts of fraud, was sentenced to four years and 10 months in prison. Merritt, who pleaded guilty at the initial hearing on June 23 to burglary dwelling, was jailed for two years and one month.

Detective Constable Jack Mitchell, from the Rotherham Neighbourhood Crime Team, said: “As we enter the festive period, we sadly see an increase of crimes of this nature. I am pleased that both Walker and Merritt will spend time in jail for their crimes, which will hopefully provide comfort and peace of mind to their victims and the local community.

“We want to assure the community that there will be consequences for people who commit these types of crimes without fear of repercussions. The fast actions and diligence of the victims in this case assisted the investigation and directly contributed to the outcomes, and I want to thank them for their support in helping us to catch Walker and Merritt.

“I want to highlight how mindful members of the public should be around home security, fraud and cyber crime at this time of year, and to contact your local neighbourhood policing team.”