Teenager, 17, arrested after Sheffield dad went on manhunt to catch thieves who burgled children’s home

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested after a vigilante Sheffield dad went on a manhunt to catch the thieves who burgled into his children's home last Saturday.
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Carl Siddall of Woodthorpe said the children's home on Holbrook Drive was burgled in the early hours of Saturday morning (December 21) while the children were overseas on holiday.

In a statement, South Yorkshire Police said: "Shortly after 9.30pm on December 21, officers responded to reports of a burglary at an address in Holbrook Drive, Sheffield.

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"We believe that at some point between 3am and 9.30am, persons unknown have smashed a conservatory window to gain access before searching the property for valuables.

The window that has been temporarily sealed. Picture by Carl Siddall.The window that has been temporarily sealed. Picture by Carl Siddall.
The window that has been temporarily sealed. Picture by Carl Siddall.

"Cash, jewellery and the occupant's car are amongst the property said to have been stolen in the incident.

"Officers have since arrested a 17-year-old boy in connection with the incident."

In a Facebook post on Monday (December 23), the father-of-two published what appeared to be CCTV images depicting the suspects and told them to return the children's belongings.

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The 45-year-old said the children were on holiday in New York with their grandparents for a week and just came home on Sunday morning (December 22).

The thieves broke into their home through a conservatory window. Picture by Carl Siddall.The thieves broke into their home through a conservatory window. Picture by Carl Siddall.
The thieves broke into their home through a conservatory window. Picture by Carl Siddall.

He said the burglars had broken into their conservatory window to steal their valuables, but they were caught using his son's bank card as they went on a spending spree at a 24-hour store on Prince Wales Road.

And that was when he found out where his son's card was used and went down to the shop to get the CCTV footage.

When contacted, Mr Siddall said he managed to track down the address of the suspects, thanks to his "detective work".

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"The police made an arrest yesterday evening after I had found them hiding in a house. I rang the police because I knew they were hiding in there," he said.

However, he now fears for the safety of his children - a 16-year-old boy and a 23-year-old daughter - as the suspects live in the same neighbourhood.

"My children are still very upset. These thieves only live about 200 yards away from their home," he said.

The police said they continue to investigate the incident and urge those with information to contact 101 quoting incident number 988 of December 21.