Burglars jailed over spate of break-ins

TWO BURGLARS who used stolen motorcycles to commit a series of burglaries and cause several thousand pounds of damage to properties and vehicles across Yorkshire have been jailed for seven-and-a-half years.

Connor Walker, 21, inset, from South Elmsall and Darryl Lynch, 18, Knottingley carried out the burglaries between November 5 and November 8, 2018, stealing money, tools and significant amounts of jewellery from their victims, some of which was irreplaceable and of sentimental value to their targeted elderly owners.

They were caught after a homeowner returned to his house in Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire, to find two men wearing crash helmets running from his garage.

As they tried to get away they left behind a scooter, which had been stolen two days earlier in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, to make their escape across fields. Following a search of the area, police recovered clothing, gloves and crash helmets with both defendant’s DNA found on the items. Appearing at Leeds Crown Court, Walker was sentenced to fourand-a-half years in jail, while Lynch received a three-year prison sentence. North Yorkshire Police’s investigating officer Dave Pegg said: “Hopefully, the significant sentence imposed will bring some satisfaction to the victims and send a clear message to criminals who commit crime across our counties that police forces will work together to bring offenders to justice.”