A Doncaster burglar has been returned to prison after deliberately targeting a vulnerable, elderly woman.
Described as a “career burglar” by South Yorkshire Police, Steven Reynolds was arrested as part of Operation Castle, which was set up last year to combat burglaries in Doncaster, which has some of the highest rates in the country. There has been a 21% reduction in the number of burglaries in the city in 2023 compared with 2022, the lowest rate in Doncaster in the past five years.
Reynolds, aged 43 and of St John’s Road, Balby, was known to target vulnerable people by trying to appeal to their good nature and gaining access to their homes. Afterwards, he would steal from them, leaving people feeling unsafe in their own homes.
He was released from prison in 2023, but soon began to target people again. In December 2023, he offered to clear snow from the path of an elderly woman’s home in Hexthorpe.
Reynolds then asked to wash his hands inside her house before he asked her for a drink. When she turned her back, he stole the victim’s purse and £20 in cash, before fleeing.
The victim reported the crime to the police, who deployed forensic teams who worked to take swabs from the glass Reynolds had drunk from. They provided a positive DNA match and, while working alongside the Doncaster Integrated Offender Management team, who monitor offenders known to commit crime, Reynolds was arrested.
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Detective Constable Larissa Porter, who has worked on Operation Castle and was the officer in charge of this case, said: “This was a really cruel crime which targeted an elderly and vulnerable woman in her own home.
“She thought Reynolds was simply doing a good deed but instead he was plotting and calculating how he was going to take advantage and steal from her.
“Operation Castle has already seen success in helping us recognise patterns of offending and gather vital intelligence on the movements of some of Doncaster’s most prolific burglars.
“We were able to use the skills we have learnt so far on this operation to ensure justice was delivered in the case of Reynolds and we are pleased he has been given a lengthy custodial sentence.”
Reynolds pleaded guilty to one count of burglary at Sheffield Crown Court on February 9. On May 15, he was sentenced to six years and nine months in jail.
DC Porter said: “We have seen first-hand just how demoralising and devastating these burglaries can be. If you’re committing these crimes and targeting vulnerable residents in society, you should be constantly looking over your shoulder as we are onto you.
“We’re building more and more intelligence by the day on your offending and behaviour and we will do everything in our power to ensure you are brought before the courts and dealt with by the full force of the law.”
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