Nine years in jail for duo who carried out horrifying attack on Doncaster residents in their own home: police column

Ricky Stevens, a 33-year-old from Staveley Street, Edlington, and Brad Bailey, aged 22, from Dukes Crescent, were each jailed for nine years after they entered their victims’ home on Staveley Street, Edlington, via an unlocked door, both carrying large knives.

The assaults they carried out on November 11 left one of their victims with a broken nose, and the other with cuts and scratches to their face. Both suffered significant mental and emotional trauma.

We think the offenders may have been searching for drugs and targeted the wrong address.

Stevens pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary at the first opportunity. Bailey was found guilty of false imprisonment. Although Stevens pleaded guilty at the first opportunity, he was given the same sentence of nine years because he took the lead in the offence.

Our Detective Constable Rachel Young, worked closely with the victims throughout the case at Sheffield Crown Court, and was praised by the prosecution barrister for her relentless support.

The victims are happy that both defendants have received substantial sentences. It sends a wider message that we should all stand up to these criminals and incidents of these nature will not be tolerated in Doncaster.

This is just one example of a number of successful prosecutions we have seen recently.

On May 3, Callum Huttom-Spigner, of no fixed address, was jailed for 46 months, for possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

He'd been captured on CCTV on Regent Street, Balby. Three men got out of a vehicle, and Huttom-Spigner, aged 25, left an address in possession of a shotgun. He shot towards the vehicle.

Thankfully, no one was injured. The defendant pleaded not guilty to possession of a firearm, and claimed it was an imitation gun, not a real one which would result in a reduced sentence. We got a forensics expert to come out and conduct forensics tests at the scene. Tests on the ground showed a gun had been fired into asphalt. We therefore proved to the court that it was not an imitation gun and Huttom-Spigner received the sentence he deserved.

Day to day, I am the Detective Inspector for Doncaster, and have responsibility for the reactive Criminal Investigation Department based at College Road, with four detective sergeants and 28 detective constables.

My team are responsible for managing and conducting investigations into a wide range of serious and complex crimes including suspicious deaths, serious assaults, robbery, burglary, firearms incidents serious sexual offences, high risk missing people and high level fraud.

Every investigation is different and may require differing investigative strategies. For example, in some cases the identity of the offender is known from the outset and the investigation quickly enters the suspect management phase. In others, the identity of the offender may never be known or is discovered following a lengthy investigation.

I can say with utmost confidence that all of my team work tirelessly in order to keep the public of Doncaster safe by fighting crime and protecting the most vulnerable. Our mission is to ensure that all of our victims of crime are provided with the best possible service, understanding that some of the incidents we deal with are usually the most traumatic experiences a person will ever encounter. We work closely with partner agencies in order to help people find the strength to move on following such an ordeal and do everything we can to identify offenders and bring them to justice.

We can’t do this on our own and often rely on the public to work with us – when they do, it is when we are most successful.

This was highlighted in a recent missing persons case. We appealed to the public for help tracing a mum and her two-year-old daughter. There was concern because they had not been seen for six weeks.

My team worked round the clock alongside social services, housing, immigration and National Crime Agency colleagues to try to find them.

Thankfully we found them safe and well – this was thanks to an eagle-eyed member of the staff who spotted them late at night in a Doncaster supermarket. My team rang me at home - it was a such a relief for everyone to know they were safe and well and they are now receiving the required support from our partner agencies.