Female Leeds burglar became the scourge of city's student digs with 'flurry' of offences

The police circulated messages about 37-year-old Michelle Stead on undergraduate social media sites, Leeds Crown Court heard, having racked up 42 offences since 2019 in what the judge described as a “flurry of offending”.

She appeared in court this week where she admitted two counts of burglary and fraud by false representation.

Prosecutor Andrew Stranex said she targeted a shared house on Victoria Street on January 9. It was not until one of the residents received a notification that evening to say his account was being used at nearby Kendal Lane Stores in Woodhouse that he realised his rucksack containing his bank card had been stolen from outside his room door.

CCTV stills from the shop were obtained by police who recognised Stead.

However, a day later on January 10, she entered a property on Clarendon Road in Woodhouse and stole an iPad and a bag. The owner had overheard an argument between two men and a woman outside, and when he went back to his room, his window blinds had been moved and his belongings were gone.

When police finally caught up with Stead, of Cross Flatts Avenue, Cross Flats, she gave a no-comment interview.

In mitigation, Stuart Field said that although she had admitted to entering the properties and stealing, he described the offences as “relatively unsophisticated”.

He said that drugs had blighted her life in recent years, but had progressed while being held on remand. He explained: “She has a record that has increased rapidly over a short period of time. It’s a deterioration in mental health and drug use that has largely driven that offending behaviour. It’s sadly grown worse.

"She has done well in custody and it’s provided some structure to her life. She has been drug-free and feels readier to face a trouble-free existence.”

Judge Robin Mairs jailed her for 21 months, telling her that previous community orders had limited effect so had little option left. He said: “There’s been a flurry of offending by you in recent years. I have no confidence there’s a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.”