A warden has been acquitted of burgling a student’s flat he was overseeing during the Easter break.
A jury took just two hours to find Harley Vincent not guilty of letting himself into Khaled Alsaber’s flat with a master key while he was on holiday in April last year and stealing a Samsung tablet and an iPhone 5.
The now-25-year-old was a warden at the “luxury” Kingsmill Studios on King’s Mill Lane which is primarily for University of Huddersfield students, starts at £149 per week and includes double beds, flat-screen TVs, a gym and even a cinema room.
During a short two-day trial, the jury of seven men and five women were shown CCTV footage of Mr Vincent in the accommodation office opening a drawer where the master keys are kept, leaving for 20 minutes before returning carrying a silver tablet.
But the defendant, who at one point was head warden, claimed he had not entered the office to get a key and was instead repeatedly checking the rota.
He also said he found the tablet broken in a corridor beside broken glass and a black bin liner and he was bringing it to the office for health and safety reasons.
Kate Bissett, defending, described her client, who suffers from autism, depression and anxiety, as someone who took his duties seriously.
Nicholas Rooke, prosecuting, previously told Leeds Crown Court that Mr Alsaber’s girlfriend Elizabeth Sutherland had a key fob to access the flat, but apart from her there were only four people who could access it.
Miss Sutherland was the last to leave the third floor flat and locked the door behind her - but when she returned she discovered the TV on the wall had been damaged.
She said: “It was not like that when I left it. There were deep scratches like it had been keyed. There were also plastic shavings on the table.
“I left as I was freaked out.”
Mr Alsaber said: “I found this very strange as none of my valuable jewellery had been taken.
“My first thought was one of the wardens had allowed my friends access to my room to gain access to my social media. I reported this to the police immediately.”
He reported it to Mr Vincent and his then-girlfriend, who was also a warden, and they went to his flat together before Mr Vincent said he would report it to his manager.
Mr Alsaber later reported it to accommodation manager Richard Hughs and then to the police.
Mr Hughs, who appeared in court to give evidence, said: “[Mr Vincent] wanted to let me know that his fingerprints would now be on the door because he had been in the room with Khaled.
“It just seemed a strange comment to make, to be honest.”
Mr Alsaber said: “I have never really trusted Harley as my girlfriend used to be a warden and Harley tried to act as her boss.
“She reported it to the manager and cream was squirted outside her flat.”
Vincent, of Woodgrove Road in the Wincobank area of Sheffield, had denied one charge of burglary.
