Sheffield man jailed for over four years after stealing £30,000 worth of jewellery and threatening victims with violence

Damien Ward, aged 29, of Walkley Street, Sheffield, appeared before Sheffield Crown Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to burglary and witness intimidation.

On July 19, 2020, at around 12.30am, police received reports of men entering a property on Hallamshire Road.

A few minutes later, two officers were on scene and located a suspicious vehicle, that initially looked unoccupied, parked on the road.

On a closer inspection officers found two men, one being Ward, bent down trying to evade being caught.

Ward had broken into the property through the patio doors, causing significant damage.

The house had fitted CCTV which Ward had also attempted to remove but he was seen on footage entering the house.

During the burglary, a watch worth more than £30,000 and a necklace worth £4,000 was stolen.

Following the burglary, Ward identified his victim and threatened to cause physical harm to them and their family if they continued with police involvement.

He was subsequently charged with witness intimidation.

Investigating Officer PC Ellie Davies from the Sheffield CID Team said: “Burglary is much more than the items that are stolen, it is the lasting mental implications of someone entering your home, as well as damage caused at a cost to the home owner.

“In addition to burgling the home of his victim, Ward also continued to threaten and intimidate him to drop the police charges. I am pleased that Ward will serve time in prison for his actions.”Ward was sentenced on May 24 to 54 months in prison.