A man responsible for a burglary and robbery spree across Stockport and Hyde is sentenced to 16 years in prison

James Smith (22/07/1994) of no fixed abode was last week jailed for 16 years, with an extended four-year licence, after being found guilty of three counts of robbery, three counts of burglary dwelling and two counts of theft of motor vehicles.

James Smith - sentenced to 16 years in prison

The court heard how the first offence was committed on 18 June 2022 on Ruskin Road in Bredbury around 1pm. A homeowner returned home around 4.45pm and realised the rear door to the address had been damaged and multiple personal items had been removed - including jewellery and electronic equipment.

A man, believed to be Smith, was seen on CCTV which placed him in the area - identified by the distinctive clothing he was wearing.

The second offence was committed on Redhouse Lane in Bredbury, also on 18 June. A property owner was out of his house when he received a call from the police at approximately 6.35pm, who advised his home had been broken into. On return, he noted a dining room window had been smashed and his car keys were missing. His Peugeot vehicle, which had been securely parked at the front of his house, was also gone.

Doorbell footage from an address further down the street showed two males, one of which was later identified as Smith, walking towards the property that had been broken into. It also showed them leaving the address and getting into the Peugeot a few minutes later. They were also caught on CCTV cameras in the area.

The third offence occurred on Green Lane in Romiley during the night of Monday 20 June 2022. The owner of the property woke at 4am to discover he had been burgled. The kitchen window had been broken and a number of items had been stolen - including a bank card and mobile phone - as well as a Peugeot vehicle, worth in the region of £12,000.

It was discovered that £500 had been spent on the stolen bank card in Bredbury and Hazel Grove. Smith was caught on CCTV drawing the cash out from an ATM.

On 21 June 2022, two males were on the field behind a leisure centre in Romiley. Whilst there, they were approached by three people, including Smith.

At approximately 5.30pm, as the trio made their way off the field, the two males collected their belongings and walked in the direction of the leisure centre. They were then attacked from behind by two people, including Smith, with one of them sustaining a slash wound to the face, and the other a bleed on the brain and a broken jaw.

Following the attack, a number of items from the two males were taken, including phones, headphones, jewellery and a mountain bike.

The next day, a man was at his home address on Mansfield Road in Hyde when five men in balaclavas forced their way into the property. The victim was assaulted and was held at knifepoint before being thrown down the stairs.

His vehicle, a Fiat Doblo, was stolen from outside his property.

Smith was later apprehended by GMP.

DC Rosanna Shaw, of Stockport CID, said: "This conviction is the result of an intensive fast-paced investigation by Stockport CID and we are all extremely pleased with the result.

"Smith was responsible for a number of offences that left the victims distressed and made to feel not safe in their own homes. Nobody should ever have to feel like that.

"We hope that Smith being taken off the streets of Greater Manchester for a substantial length of time goes some well to help them start to come to terms with the horrific experiences that they have gone through.

"As a Force, we are committed to getting thieves off the streets and into custody as soon as possible. We often rely on intelligence provided by members of the community but we understand that this can be difficult to do.

"Information can be passed anonymously via the independent charity - Crimestoppers - on 0800 555 111 or you can call us on 101. We follow all credible lines of enquiry up so we can help as many people as we can."