The five burglars from Sunderland and South Tyneside who have been jailed for a total of 17 years in 2021

More than 200 suspected burglars have been arrested in the first four months of 2021, Northumbria Police has revealed.

A huge number of those suspects are awaiting a court appearance and could face a lengthy stretch behind bars.

So far in 2021 burglars have been jailed for a total of 54 years – including five burglars targeting victims in Sunderland and South Tyneside who have been jailed for combined total of 17 years.

These are the five criminals put behind bars:

Grant Nanson

The armed burglar was jailed after thrusting a knife towards a five-year-old child during a terrifying Christmas raid. He then violently attacked the father and his wife who had rushed downstairs after hearing the commotion.

The 28-year-old swiped an iPhone a threatened the family that he had a gun and would return. But in his haste he left a DNA-smeared baseball cap and blue Latex glove which forensically linked him to the scene.

He admitted aggravated burglary and was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Stephen Ambler

Among those jailed was Ambler stole and crashed a family’s car after breaking into a Hetton home. The 42-year-old was rumbled after he was caught on CCTV urinating in the street. Ambler, of no fixed abode, was jailed for five years.

Antoni Adams

The 33-year-old was also jailed for two years earlier this year after swigging a can of beer during a raid in Sunderland – before leaving it on the kitchen bench.

Northumbria Police forensic officers recovered his DNA from the can of Fosters and Adams, of Warwick Terrace, Sunderland, was put behind bars.

David Sewell

The crook entered a 91-year-old’s home in the Horsley Hill area of South Shields and falsely claimed he was collecting money for a relative who had been cleaning her windows but his victim’s son dropped in and caught him inside the house.

He was jailed for 11 months.

Tanya Walt

The 43-year-old was captured on doorbell video when she walked into a family home as they were watching TV. The occupants circulated her image on Facebook and were quickly provided with a name for the raider, by her own cousin.

Walt, of Freda Street, Sunderland, admitted burglary with intent to steal and was locked up for ten months.

Detective Chief Inspector Sean McGuigan, burglary lead at Northumbria Police, praised the work of specialist teams tasked with putting thieves behind bars.

He said: “We have faced our own challenges but our dedicated teams of burglary hunters have carried out some phenomenal investigative work throughout lockdown.

“We know that 2021 will continue to pose its own challenges but I am delighted that we have already arrested hundreds of thieves in the last four months.

“Dozens more have been placed behind bars and some of the most prolific burglars and thieves in our region have been taken off the streets.

“There has been some truly phenomenal investigative work in recent months which has taken some of our most prolific burglars and thieves off our streets.

“Your home should be your safe haven, and we will do everything we can to secure convictions and offer you as much reassurance as possible.”

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