Sheffield Crown Court: Burglar raided South Yorkshire property after waiting outside and watching the occupants leave

A serial burglar had only been free from prison for two months when he broke into a South Yorkshire home, moments after watching the occupants leave to go shopping.
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James Chesterton, along with another un-named man, gained access to the property on a residential street in Rawmarsh at just after 5pm on January 27 this year after watching the occupants leave.

During a hearing held on March 25, prosecuting barrister, Andrew Pickin, told Doncaster Crown Court that when the occupants returned to the property around an hour later at 6pm, they found their car was missing.

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In addition to the car keys being stolen from the property, Mr Pickin said that a watch worth £100 had also been stolen, and the bedrooms had been ‘disturbed’.

29-year-old James Chesterton has been jailed for 32 months for a burglary carried out at a property in Rawmarsh in January this year29-year-old James Chesterton has been jailed for 32 months for a burglary carried out at a property in Rawmarsh in January this year
29-year-old James Chesterton has been jailed for 32 months for a burglary carried out at a property in Rawmarsh in January this year

“The occupants’ neighbour describes seeing two males parked in an estate vehicle, and waiting until the occupant and his wife had left the property…lights were turned on, and the two males entered the property,” Mr Picken said.

Chesterton and his accomplice are thought to have gained access to the property through an open door.

In a statement read to the court, the occupant said: “I’m upset at the fact that someone has been in our house, and I dread to think what would have happened if my wife or I had been in the house.”

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He estimated the value of his vehicle to be £13,000 at the time of the burglary.

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The stolen vehicle was recovered around a week later, by which time it had been fitted with false plates, and Chesterton, 29, of Whybourne Grove in Wellgate, Rotherham was arrested in connection with the burglary.

He pleaded guilty to burglary and theft of a motor vehicle at an earlier hearing.

The court was told that Chesterton was handed a five-year sentence for offences of dishonesty, including burglary, in 2020 and had only been released from prison around two months before carrying out the Rawmarsh burglary.

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Michael Cane-Soothill, defending, said Chesterton has previously gained qualifications in mechanical engineering, earning him a job working on the railways.

He said Chesterton now hopes to return to that line of work, following his ‘inevitable’ prison sentence, and also wishes to apologise to the occupants of the house he burgled through a ‘restorative justice’ initiative.

Judge Roger Thomas QC jailed Chesterton for 32 months.