Heartless Gareth Vaughan, who has a long criminal record, was jailed for three years at Leeds Crown Court this week after he stole children’s Christmas presents from a home in Armley. The 46-year-old broke into the house and stole bank cards, before returning hours later to gather the gifts, only to be caught by the homeowners who had returned in the meantime.placeholder image
Heartless Gareth Vaughan, who has a long criminal record, was jailed for three years at Leeds Crown Court this week after he stole children’s Christmas presents from a home in Armley. The 46-year-old broke into the house and stole bank cards, before returning hours later to gather the gifts, only to be caught by the homeowners who had returned in the meantime. | WYP / PA / YEP

11 repulsive criminals locked up in Leeds last week including Christmas toy burglar

Alex Grant
By Alex Grant

Senior Reporter

Published 30th Mar 2026, 16:30 GMT

Here are 11 repulsive criminals who were locked up in Leeds last week.

Their crimes include a heartless burglar who stole children’s Christmas presents after twice returning to the same house in Armley.

Also locked up at Leeds Crown Court this week, was a dangerous sexual predator who picked up a woman that thought he was her pre-booked taxi and then raped her.

View our gallery below for the full round-up of criminals locked up in Leeds this week...

Dangerous sexual predator Rashid Kwabena Boachie has been jailed for 10 years and six months, with a five-year extended licence period and put on the sex offender register for life after he picked up a woman that thought he was her pre-booked taxi and then raped her. The 44-year-old was only caught when his DNA was finally matched for another another sex offence committed four years later.

7. Rashid Kwabena Boachie

Dangerous sexual predator Rashid Kwabena Boachie has been jailed for 10 years and six months, with a five-year extended licence period and put on the sex offender register for life after he picked up a woman that thought he was her pre-booked taxi and then raped her. The 44-year-old was only caught when his DNA was finally matched for another another sex offence committed four years later. | WYP

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Convicted paedophile Philip Clark was given an extended eight-year jail sentence, made up of four years’ jail with a four-year extended licence period after claiming to be a 15-year-old boy, and began making explicit suggestions to a girl aged 14. The 43-year-old was also put on the sex offender register for life, and he was given a new lifelong SHPO.

8. Philip Clark

Convicted paedophile Philip Clark was given an extended eight-year jail sentence, made up of four years’ jail with a four-year extended licence period after claiming to be a 15-year-old boy, and began making explicit suggestions to a girl aged 14. The 43-year-old was also put on the sex offender register for life, and he was given a new lifelong SHPO. | WYP / Adobe

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Prolific shoplifter Thomas Collett was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to 19 counts of theft from a shop. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a bladed article and assault of an emergency worker. The 29-year-old has been banned from entering any Tesco or Co-op stores in the Leeds Metropolitan area, and from entering The Spring Retail Park.

9. Thomas Collett

Prolific shoplifter Thomas Collett was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to 19 counts of theft from a shop. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a bladed article and assault of an emergency worker. The 29-year-old has been banned from entering any Tesco or Co-op stores in the Leeds Metropolitan area, and from entering The Spring Retail Park. | WYP/Iconic

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Failed asylum seeker Ladislav Kavur was jailed for 27 months after a string of break-ins at the rentable Airbnb apartments on The Headrow, opposite Leeds Town Hall. The owner of the apartments found the lock boxes containing the keys had been smashed and the keys taken. He checked and found TVs were missing along with coffee-making machines.

10. Kavur

Failed asylum seeker Ladislav Kavur was jailed for 27 months after a string of break-ins at the rentable Airbnb apartments on The Headrow, opposite Leeds Town Hall. The owner of the apartments found the lock boxes containing the keys had been smashed and the keys taken. He checked and found TVs were missing along with coffee-making machines. | WYP / Google Maps

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A defenceless man was left with in a heap on the floor, unconscious and with a bleed on the brain after a single punch thrown by Michael Brown in Wakefield city centre. CCTV showed the 36-year-old run across a road to knock the man unconscious, despite the victim raising his hands to suggest he was not looking for trouble. He was jailed for 14 months.

11. Michael Brown

A defenceless man was left with in a heap on the floor, unconscious and with a bleed on the brain after a single punch thrown by Michael Brown in Wakefield city centre. CCTV showed the 36-year-old run across a road to knock the man unconscious, despite the victim raising his hands to suggest he was not looking for trouble. He was jailed for 14 months. | WYP

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