Teenager breaks into over 100 student houses

Leeds youth jailed for stealing over £190,000 of your stuff


19-year-old Liam Walker has been jailed for 4 years after breaking into over 100 student houses in Leeds.

Walker targeted valuable electronic items, such as laptops and mobile phones, in houses with multiple occupants, stealing property worth an estimated £193,000 this year alone.

The teenager was even caught red handed wielding a flat screen television at 5:30am at a house party in a property on Manor Terrace in Hyde Park, aided by another unknown character.

The padlock on the room with the television had been removed, presumably by the burglar, and he fled the scene before he could be detained.

This did not deter Walker as he continued to commit more offences, estimated at over 100, before finally being arrested.

The burglary offences date back to 2009, when Walker was only 14 years old. Only £74,000 of the stolen items have been recovered to date.

One History student and Hyde Park resident, said: “Due to the high density of students in Hyde Park, it’s inevitable that there are burglaries especially considering that the majority of the houses are unoccupied during the day.

“People know that Hyde Park is a dangerous place, especially at night, and these burglaries just confirm that a lot of work still needs to be done”.

Judge Geoffrey Marson, sentencing Walker for causing ‘misery’ to the students of Leeds, commented on the matter as a “depressing state of affairs”.

Detective Sergeant Liam Walsh of the Leeds District Crime Team hopes the jail time will bring “closure to victims to know that the person responsible has admitted the offence and has been dealt with by the justice system”.