Bungling Yorkshire burglars nabbed thanks to DNA left in their FLAT CAPS
Shane Richards and Carl Riddiough, both 30, stole cash and jewellery after claiming to have lost their football
A PAIR of burglars from Yorkshire were linked to their crimes by DNA left in their flat caps.
Shane Richards and Carl Riddiough, both 30, stole cash and jewellery as they preyed on elderly homeowners.
Victims said two crooks knocked on doors pretending they had kicked a ball into the back garden.
One would then go with the owner to retrieve the ball, while the other raided the property.
Police put out a warning over two burglars in flat caps after break-ins in Great Ayton, Boroughbridge and Scagglethorpe in Ryedale, North Yorks, in August 2016.
A member of the public spotted the pair in their headgear in a van.
Cops later located the vehicle and found the caps, which were then linked to Richards and Riddiough.
Experts also found traces of glass on the hats from a smashed patio window at a raid in Whitby.
Richards, of Doncaster, pleaded guilty to six burglaries at York crown court.
He was sentenced to 4½ years for the offences, as well as a three-year term to run concurrently for a number of crimes in the Lincolnshire area.
Riddiough pleaded guilty to the Whitby raid and was also jailed for 4½ years.
DC Sam Harding, of the Op Gauntlet Multi-Agency Safeguarding Team, said: “This was a complex investigation.
“Richards and Riddiough’s offending left their victims extremely distressed, and it is right that they are both now behind bars.
“We want to encourage people — particularly if they are elderly or vulnerable — to be vigilant against this type of crime.
“Don’t let anyone in to your home if you’re not certain who they are.
“If you’re not sure, don’t open the door.”