'Career criminal' who targeted Earl Shilton and Barwell homes, jailed for more than five years

Steven White, who absconded from HMP Sudbury in February 2022, targeted properties in Kirby Muxloe, Earl Shilton and Barwell.

On the 10th of March 2022, he entered an address in Kirby Muxloe, taking a set of keys to a Kia Rio parked outside. He then stole the car before abandoning it in a supermarket car park in Hinckley the same day.

The next day he unsuccessfully tried to enter one property in Earl Shilton.

However he then entered another address, taking a purse containing cash. The occupant was able to confront him, but eventually White was able to escape.

Detective Constable Ian Mundy was the investigating officer. He said: “Without doubt, White is a career criminal who is happy to continue offending. He doesn’t care about the people he targets or the impact his crimes have on his victims or the local community.

“Preventing and tackling burglaries and bringing the perpetrators to justice are a priority for the Hinckley and Blaby NPA, and I hope the public can take some comfort from the fact he’s now serving another prison sentence and is unable to cause further harm.”

Three days later – on the 14th of March – White then visited an address in Barwell, posing as a window cleaner. The occupant arranged for him to clean her windows but while inside, White stole a mobile phone and bank card.

He was arrested by police the same day and provided a false name while in custody.

He was charged with the following offences, which he then admitted at Leicester Crown Court on the 6th of December 2022:

• Three counts of burglary
• One count of theft, one count of driving while disqualified, one count of using a motor vehicle on a road/public place without third party insurance and one count of driving a motor vehicle otherwise than in accordance with a licence – all relating to the car being taken from Kirby Muxloe
• One count of attempting to enter as a trespasser a dwelling with intent to steal – relating to the first incident in Earl Shilton
• One count of escape – relating to him absconding from prison
• One count of doing an act tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice – relating to him providing false details

On Thursday the 5th of January at the same court, he was sentenced to a total of 64 months imprisonment.