"Shameless" burglar sentenced after Police and North East Organised Crime Unit investigation
The offender appeared before Newcastle Moot Hall Courthouse earlier this week thanks to an investigation led by the NEROCU and Cleveland Police
Last updated 9th Jun 2024
What Cleveland Police call a "shameless burglar" has been sentenced to prison this week.
Daniel Casey, 31, was brought in by officers thanks to teamwork by the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU) and Cleveland Police, who ran an investigation into a spree of burglaries - some of them more than three years ago.
Officers were made aware of suspicious activity taking place in the Cleveland area in January 2020, with the 31-year-old from Leicester identified by the forces as playing a 'key role' in the offences.
He'd travelled to the North East from the Leicestershire area at the time.
Casey and his associates used force to gain entry to a number properties, and once inside, stealing items such as sentimental family jewellery - causing the impacted of families to lose out on hundreds of thousands of pounds.
On occasions where occupants were home, the group would use violence to carry out their insidious plan.
This didn't just happen here in the North East - but across the country too.
An operation was launched and with the support of partners, NEROCU officers were able to carry out a complex and protracted investigation to identify and track down those responsible.
Casey, of Meynells Gorse, Leicester, was arrested and subsequently convicted of conspiracy to commit burglary and handling stolen goods.
On Wednesday (February 8), he appeared before Newcastle Moot Hall Courthouse and was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment for the conspiracy charge, which will run consecutive to a sentence of 81 months which he is already serving for similar offences in a different part of the country.
He also received an additional six-month imprisonment to run concurrent for the charge of handling stolen goods.
After the sentencing, NEROCU Detective Constable Mark Armstrong, said: “Casey had taunted and evaded police for over a year until his luck finally ran out.
“Casey and his associates were not deterred by any CCTV or home alarm systems or the possibility of being identified, as he thought not being from the area made him invincible – he couldn’t have been more wrong.
“Sadly, the victims in this case suffered significant loss totalling over £125,000 in cash and sentimental family jewellery which can never be replaced.
“I want to reassure communities that NEROCU, along with our partners, will continue to robustly target organised crime members who are willing to travel to the North East and cause unnecessary suffering to victims of this abhorrent crime type.”
The Judge in the case commended the work of the officers involved in the police investigation.
They said: “Police should be commended for their work in this case. The investigation was very protracted. It required careful and patient analysis. The citizens of Cleveland can be very proud of the officers involved.”
Anybody who sees anything suspicious in their area is asked to report it to their local police force via their website or calling 101.
In an emergency, or if a crime is taking place, always ring 999.