Sheffield woman left traumatised after attempted break-in
By Tabitha Wilson
March 18, 2024

An attempted break-in that felt like a “horror movie scene” left a Sheffield resident shaking, as the culprit hid from the police on her roof.

The victim, who has asked to remain anonymous, first noticed something was wrong in the early morning on Wednesday, 13 March, after returning from an evening out.

The police escort the man off the roof, after he was located.

She said: “I heard a loud bang, and then another one. I thought it was my cats playing in the wardrobe.

“I opened the blind and saw a man and his hands on my window. It was like a horror movie scene. A man was at my window which is very difficult to get to.

“As a woman, this was terrifying.”

The resident called the police and asked a neighbour to come to her flat. Her and the neighbour assumed the intruder had climbed over the roof to the abandoned building next door, where the police searched for him.

It was then that the neighbour realised he could hear someone breathing, and spotted the intruder hiding on the roof near the window.

The man was found on the roof after the woman’s neighbour heard breathing noises.

The victim said: “The police said he was a regular and had lots of issues. I get things are really hard right now, but I will say as a woman this whole thing was disconcerting.

“There are much easier places to sleep than scouring a roof next to a window by a bedroom. That’s what I didn’t like and what unsettles me. This was a breach of privacy no one should have to experience ever, let alone in their own bedroom.

“It was deeply concerning and traumatic for me as a tenant. I was shaking until at least 2:45 am, and I couldn’t sleep.”

The resident said she has ordered more ring motion sensors and a motion detector for peace of mind, with her feeling unsafe in her own home after the ordeal.

The resident added plenty of security measures to her home after the incident.