Mercedes rammed into integral garage door causing £6,000 damage during botched car key house burglary, Leeds Crown Court told

A teenage burglar from Leeds was part of a gang involved in raids on three homes when car keys and thousands of pounds worth of property were stolen, a court heard.

Leeds Crown Court heard 18-year-old Matthew Rhodes of Tingley was involved in a burglary at a house in Oulton, Leeds, on November 15 2018.

A UPVC door was smashed and £200 cash stolen along with keys to a Range Rover Velar, which was not at the property at the time of the raid.

Seven days later, Rhodes was involved in a burglary at a house in Birkby, Huddersfield, when keys to a Mercedes were stolen.

Adam Walker, prosecuting, said £6,000 worth of damage was caused to an integral garage door when the Mercedes was rammed into it during failed attempts to drive the car away.

On November 26 2018, Rhodes and others burgled a house in Clayton West where items worth £8,250 were stolen.

The stolen items included Rado and Tag Heuer watches, two ipads and a laptop and keys to an £18,000 VW Transporter van, which was stolen and later recovered by police.

Mr Walker said Rhodes was identified as being at the scene of that burglary from footprint evidence.

Rhodes, of The Crescent, Tingley, admitted three charges of burglary and one charge of theft of a car in connection with the November 2018 offences.

He also admitted charges of theft of a motor vehicle, theft from a motor vehicle and damage on September 26 2019.

The court heard those charges related to the theft of a van, which was later used when a curtain sider lorry was broken into and magazines worth £5,000 stolen.

Rhodes has seven previous convictions for house burglary dating back to the same period in November 2018 whe the latest three burglaries he admitted were committed.

The court heard Rhodes served a two-year sentence of detention in a young offender institution after being convicted of those burglaries and has been in custody on remand for around eight months for the latest set of offences.

Shila Whitehead, mitigating said: "He has been as frank and honest as he possibly can be."

Judge Christopher Batty sentenced Rhodes to a two-year community order with 20 rehabilitation activity days.

Rhodes must also comply with a three-month 9pm to 7am electronically monitored curfew.

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Thank you

Laura Collins