Knottingley burglar caught kneeling by his victim’s bed as he slept jailed

Lewis Roebuck, 33, went into a house on Vale Crescent in Knottingley via the back door in the early hours of June 23 this year.

He went searching through the property, when the shocked victim woke up to find Roebuck, who was dressed in dark clothing, kneeling to look under his bed.

Roebuck then ran out into the garden.

The victim then realised several items had been taken from his home, including a wallet, phone and pocket watch.

During their investigation, West Yorkshire Police lifted footprints from the scene and forensic analysis successfully matched them to Roebuck’s trainers.

Roebuck, of Vale Head Mount in Knottingley, changed his plea to guilty on the day of his trial and he has now been sentenced to three years behind bars for burglary.

The detective in the case, DC Ryan Johnson, of Wakefield District Crime Team, said: “A person’s home is a place where they should feel safe and it must have been extremely distressing for the victim to wake in the middle of the night to find a stranger in his bedroom.

“We were able to quickly identify and forensically link Roebuck to this crime and I hope this positive action provides some reassurance to our communities.”