Rotherham burglar who stole children's Christmas presents jailed for six years

Sheffield Crown Court was told that Darren Smith, aged 39, of Princes Street, Rotherham, stole the presents four days after Christmas from two properties in the Woodlaithes area of the town.

He made off with electrical items and children’s toys, including a PlayStation 4.

The court was told that Smith was challenged by one of the residents as he left the property.

The burglar was seen wheeling a mountain bike down the driveway - after the homeowner banged on the window, Smith dropped the bank and fled with the other presents.

Smith was eventually caught and arrested after his image was captured on CCTV trying to break in to homes in the area.

Detective Sergeant, Iain Martin, from the Rotherham Performance Crime team, said: “Burglary is a horribly invasive crime, made all the worse in this case, by Smith stealing children’s new Christmas presents.

“The significant sentence handed to Smith demonstrates the commitment we, as part of the criminal justice service, have to tackling those involved in burglary.”