Operation Castle puts Doncaster burglar in jail after blood and DNA is swabbed from crime scenes

An investigation was launched by the Operation Castle team, which provides a dedicated and detective-led response to incidents of burglary in people's homes in Doncaster.

Op Castle has seen the team look at burglary cases as a series of events rather than isolated incidents, allowing them to make connections between incidents and often identify one serial offender.

This method came to fruition when investigating Dominic Cicak, who committed his first burglary in May 2024.

After throwing a brick through the back window of a property in Ellerker Avenue, Cicak then gained entry to the address before stealing a £700 Samsung TV, expensive jewellery and £900 in cash.

Cicak, of Kirk Street, fled the scene, but he was soon implicated when crime scene investigators swabbed a glass in the property that the burglar had drank out of, resulting in a positive DNA match.

A second burglary committed in nearby Stone Close Avenue saw Cicak smash through a glass door before ransacking the property and stealing hundreds of pounds in cash.

After the crime was reported to police, forensics teams carried out work at the property, leading to them discovering blood on a kitchen cupboard which was swabbed and provided a positive match to Cicak.

Cicak was arrested and provided no comments to all questions posed before he was charged with multiple burglaries and remanded into custody.

He has since pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary dwelling and theft (no violence) as well as destroying property of a value unknown related to an offence in Kirk Street earlier this year.

Cicak was jailed for two years at Sheffield Crown Court yesterday (Thursday 31 October).

DC Ellen Hoszowski, who was the officer in charge of this case, said: "Operation Castle has already had a significant impact tackling burglaries in Doncaster and we are pleased to secure a custodial sentence against Cicak.

"He showed a complete disregard for people's homes and properties and we have seen first-hand the devastating impact burglaries have on victims.

"Forensics work was key to connecting Cicak to both burglaries and with the evidence presented against him, he had no choice but to plead guilty to two counts of burglary.

"The new practices and investigative methods we have developed and implemented as part of Operation Castle have proven to be successful with a number of prolific Doncaster burglars now in jail.

"I hope this sends out a clear message to burglars in the area that we are continuing to gather intelligence on serial offenders and we will strive to secure justice for victims of burglaries in Doncaster."