McDonald's manager who burgled flats in Leeds city centre and Belle Isle and slept in one for night is jailed at Leeds Crown Court

A McDonald's manager who burgled flats in Leeds and stole a neighbour's spare keys before spending the night in her property  has been jailed.

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Sven Landsherr went into the mail room of a block of flats at Manor Mills on Ingram Street after getting in through broken garage door shutters, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Landsherr was caught on CCTV breaking into residents' mail boxes before stealing various items of post at around 5.30am on September 1 2019.

Sven Landsherrplaceholder image
Sven Landsherr

Prosecutor, Katy Varlow, said Landsherr, 31, caused £200 damage to the mailboxes.

Miss Varlow said on September 11, Landsherr sneaked into one of his neighbour's flat at Winrose Approach, Belle Isle, while the door was open as she was in the process of moving out and stole a spare set of keys.

When the neighbour returned to her flat the following day she discovered somebody had been staying there.

Miss Varlow said the shower had been used and a cigarette butt left in it.

Two bottles of Baileys and some chocolate along with letters had been stolen.

Miss Varlow said Landsherr approached the woman as she was waiting for scenes of crime officers to arrive and suggested he knew who was responsible for the break in.

Landsherr was arrested - after his DNA was found on the cigarette butt in the shower - before being released under investigation.

On March 24, Landsherr got into the foyer of flats on Neville Street in Leeds and stole a parcel containing a £1,500 Dell laptop.

He later returned the laptop after his photograped was released in a police appeal for information.

Landsherr, of no fixed abode, admitted three charges of burglary and one charge of criminal damage.

He has two previous convictions for offences of burglary at communal areas of flats.

Philip Mahoney, mitigating said Landsherr was born in Germany and has lived in the UK for around 12 years.

Mr Mahoney said Landsherr worked for McDonald's and was a shift manager at the fast food chain.

Mr Mahoney said Landsherr has psychological problems and is remorseful.

Judge Simon Batiste jailed Landsherr for 22 months.

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