Serial Doncaster burglar jailed..

Serial Doncaster burglar jailed after investigation by dedicated Operation Castle team.

Detectives who are part of a dedicated team responsible for investigating burglaries in Doncaster have secured a jail term for a prolific offender who raided five properties and stole five cars during a series of break-ins.

After 18-year-old Benjamin MacManus was arrested by officers in November 2024 on suspicion of a burglary offence, forensic analysis of his mobile phone linked him to a number of previous burglaries committed in October 2024.

Detective Constable Ellen Hoszowski is part of the Operation Castle team which was set up to provide a dedicated and detective-led response to incidents of burglary in Doncaster.

She was the officer in charge of this case and explains how detectives were able to link MacManus to a series of burglaries after his arrest:

🗣️ “Operation Castle has shown us the benefit of looking at burglary cases as a possible series of events rather than isolated incidents as we know some offenders are responsible for multiple crimes rather than just the one.

“In this case, forensic work enabled us to establish MacManus as a serial burglar in which he raided multiple homes and stole four cars.

“Phone work showed that MacManus had searched the internet for ‘free car check reports’ on the vehicles he had stolen, suggesting he planned to sell them on.

“Many of the stolen vehicles were recovered, with one of them purchased for £500 after being stolen by MacManus.

“He showed absolutely no regard for the damage he’d caused his victims in raiding their homes and then stealing their prized possessions and went on to commit a further burglary while on court bail.”