Bungling burglars who followed CCTV route through Scarborough sentenced
Three men have been brought to justice for carrying out a burglary at a flat in Scarborough.
Ethan Smith, 18, Jakub Slodkowski, 22 and and Alfie Lyon, 19 were sentenced at York Crown Court after pleading guilty.
Smith was sentenced today (Friday August 8) to eight months’ detention at a Young Offender Institution.
Slodkowski and Lyon were sentenced on May 22 2025 to 44 months and 42 months’ detention at a Young Offender Institution, respectively.
Their sentences were larger as they were also involved in a separate case of supplying Class A drugs in Scarborough.
The residential burglary occurred on Albemarle Back Road between 9.30pm and 10pm April 21 2024 while the victim was away from his flat.
CCTV footage showed Slodkowski kicking the door several times, taking it off its hinges.
The trio then entered the flat and performed an untidy search before leaving four minutes later with the victim’s laptop.
In the footage, Lyon can be seen holding something underneath his jacket while he made his escape down the stairs with Smith and Slodkowski.
After the burglary, they walked around Scarborough town for an hour or so before heading to Smith’s home address with the stolen property.
CCTV enquiries tracked the suspects from leaving Smith’s address and heading to the victim’s property.
They then tracked them around Scarborough before capturing the men going back to Smith’s address with the stolen property.
From the CCTV enquiries, officers were able to identify all three suspects, and they were arrested the following day.
Slodkowski and Smith were at Smith’s home address, and Lyon handed himself in to the police station later that day.
A search of Smith’s and Lyon’s addresses was conducted. The stolen laptop was located hidden under the mattress of Smith’s bed.
Clothing worn by Lyon during the incident was also recovered from his bedroom.
Officer in the case, Detective Constable Sam Rivers of Scarborough CID, said: “Burglary is one of the most serious offences. Everybody should feel safe in their own home.
“In this case given the strength of the evidence, and the fact the three suspects were helpful enough to follow most of the council’s CCTV cameras on their route to and from the burglary leading back to Smith’s address, all three pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.
“I hope the sentences passed at York Crown Court gives the victim a sense of justice. We also hope it provides reassurance to the public that North Yorkshire Police is committed to tackling serious crime in our communities and removing burglars from the streets of Scarborough and across our area.”