Sheffield thief targeted student house and council building during stealing spree

A Sheffield drug addict has been jailed for just under three years after he admitted to stealing from a student house and a council building during a stealing spree.
A Sheffield drug addict has been jailed for just under three years after he admitted to stealing from a student house and a council building during a stealing spree.A Sheffield drug addict has been jailed for just under three years after he admitted to stealing from a student house and a council building during a stealing spree.
A Sheffield drug addict has been jailed for just under three years after he admitted to stealing from a student house and a council building during a stealing spree.

The first place targeted by Callum Shaw, 25, during his most recent spate of offending was council accommodation located at Callow Place, Gleadless on May 12 this year.

Prosecuting, Carl Fitch, told Sheffield Crown Court: "CCTV showed the defendant and another entering and stealing a vacuum cleaner.

"The complainant has no idea how much it was worth."

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A few weeks later on May 30, Shaw, of Wade Street, Grimesthorpe entered Maplins in Langsett Road in the city centre.

Mr Fitch described how Shaw's 'demeanour' whilst he was looking around the shop caused members of staff to become suspicious and when he left they visited the area he had been in.

They discovered that a pair of headphones worth £69.99 had gone missing, and CCTV showed Shaw stealing them shortly before he exited the premises.

The next offence took place at a student house in Crookesmoor Road, Crookesmoor between June 9 and June 12. All of the six bedrooms at the property have separate locks, the court was told.

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The complainant left the house for the evening on June 9 at around 9pm. Due to another of his housemates being at home at the time, the young man left his bedroom door unlocked.

"The defendant entered the house, must have been through an unlocked door, and then into the unlocked bedroom and stole his Playstation, his laptop and his games to a total value in the region of £900," said Mr Fitch.

He added: "The defendant was subsequently detected as he left his finger marks on a window ledge."

Mr Fitch told the court that Shaw has an extensive criminal record, consisting of 23 convictions from 40 offences. This latest series of offences amounts to Shaw's so-called 'third strike' for burglary.

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Defending, David Baines, said in mitigation: "Mr Shaw tells me he had a fairly unstable childhood, during which he was in and out of foster care. Thereafter he was living on the streets and became addicted to drugs."

Judge Robert Moore sentenced Shaw to 30 months in prison for his most recent offences, and added a further five months to his sentence for breaching the license conditions of his last conviction, bringing his total sentence to 35 months.

He said: "At the age of 25 you're beginning to build up a substantial record of previous convictions and the sentences will just keep getting longer."

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