Home Alone 'Wet Bandit' burglar turned on tap to ruin Leeds home, causing £350,000 of damage

Joe Cunningham was part of a gang that hooked up a hosepipe and left the tap running in a vindictive move reminiscent of the antagonists from the 1990 festive comedy, who flood the homes they burgle and give themselves the moniker “The Wet Bandits”. Cunningham and his accomplices even committed the crime in the days after Christmas last year.

But the move was far from funny for the owner of the home in the Oulton area, who was left with a huge £350,000 clean-up and repair bill, along with having to replace items stolen.

Cunningham was jailed for six-years-and-three-months at Leeds Crown Court for the break-in, along with a string of other offences, including attacks on officers and dangerous driving as he tried to outrun police in a stolen vehicle.

The 29-year-old first came to the police’s attention when a Range Rover was stolen from outside The Wellington on Wetherby Road, Shadwell on March 2 last year, while the owner was inside the pub having a meal. CCTV showed a Mitsubishi Shogun pull up before the occupants got out and broke into the expensive vehicle with both vehicles then leaving in convoy.

With a tracker fitted, police were able to trace the 4x4 to the Moortown area and gave chase, but Cunningham accelerated away mounting grass verges and driving on the wrong side of the carriageway. He eventually abandoned the Range Rover on Lingfield Drive and fled on foot. They were unable to find him, despite the police helicopter being despatched.

Two months later they tracked him down to a house on The Rein in Seacroft, where a social gathering was taking place. When officers entered the house to arrest him, he became violent and headbutted one of the officers, leaving him with a broken nose. Another officer was also left with bruising to their face. Cunningham then gave a no-comment interview at the police station.

But on December 28 last year, he and his gang targeted the Oulton home while the owner was away. They disabled the CCTV security system at around 4.30am and gained entry by breaking a first-floor window. Having ransacked the home, they then turned on the hosepipe inside the property and left.

Get the latest headlines, straight to your inbox, with YEP’s free emails

However, Cunningham’s DNA was found at the scene and he was arrested on January 10 from his home and held on remand. He later admitted dwelling burglary, dangerous driving, driving while banned, taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent, Section 20 GBH, assault on an emergency worker and possession of cannabis.

He has nine previous convictions for 17 offences, including 10 for theft and four dwelling burglaries.

Mitigating, Charles Blatchford said: “He wishes to express his remorse and the harm he has caused.” He said that Cunningham, of Swarcliffe Bank, Swarcliffe, had lost close family members and struggled with mental health issues.

Judge Robin Mairs told Cunningham: “It was a planned burglary, it was not stumbled across. This was planned, professional and sophisticated offending. It caused substantial economic loss. You are a professional and committed offender.”

As well as the jail term, Cunningham was also banned form driving for five-years-and-11-months.