Man admits Bradford cable theft which left residents homeless

A man has admitted stealing power cables from a block of flats in Bradford, which led to up to 200 being made temporarily homeless

Kyle Butters, 20 admitted taking copper wiring from the City Exchange building between April 10 and 13.

After the theft, the fire service issued a prohibition order at the building preventing residents from returning until it was made safe.

Butters, of Tees Street, Bradford, will be sentenced on 5 January.

Bradford Crown Court heard other people were understood to be involved in the offence alongside Butters, with the bill for the damage caused said to run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Judge Jonathan Gibson told Butters he had pleaded guilty to a serious offence, but it was right for his sentence to be adjourned for the preparation of a pre-sentence report.

At the time of the theft, some residents were forced to sleep in cars while others slept on friends' floor or sofas or had to move into hotels.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the power outage caused by the theft had affected safety systems in the building such as fire alarms, emergency lighting and the sprinkler system.

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