Prolific criminal handed two-years and four months jail sentence

A prolific offender has been sentenced to two-years and four months in prison after he was arrested and charged in connection with multiple offences that occurred in Hull over the past year.

Gareth Handley, 38, of no fixed abode, appeared at Hull Crown Court on Tuesday 2 May, where he pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary and three counts of theft from a vehicle.

The sentence was handed to Handley following a series of incidents between 17 November 2022 and 21 February 2023 where he broke into vehicles across Hull and stole personal belongings. He also broke into two business premises, one of which was a charity.

On one occasion, Handley threatened to stab a man who challenged him after he broke into his car and stole a personal belonging. The man attempted to detain Handley, before Handley swung a shopping bag at the man in an attempt to assault him and fled the scene.

In a seperate incident earlier this year, Handley used a crow bar to gain entry to a charity where he stole a digital camera along with cash. Handley was later stopped by officers in the area where he was found to be in possession of the stolen item and subsequently arrested at the scene.

The officer in the case, PC Stephanie Makey, said: “Theft and burglary are serious offences, and we will continue do everything we can to cause disruption to criminals who think it is okay to carry out crimes of this nature.

“This type of prolific offending will not be tolerated, and I am pleased that Handley can no longer cause harm to members of our community.

“I would like to thank the victims of Handley for reporting his crimes to us. It is thanks to the information provided by the victims that we were able to link Handley to them and secure this conviction.”