23/06/2026
This is the moment a man burrowed a hole through a roof to evade us after subjecting Bassetlaw residents to a series of terrifying ordeals.
James Rylance forced his way through the loft ceiling of a Bircotes house and clambered out onto the roof before spending the next four hours throwing tiles at our officers below.
He was already by that stage wanted for three separate home invasions where he armed himself with weapons, as well as a street robbery where he threatened to throw acid at another man.
Each offence took place in Bassetlaw over the space of just under a month, with the crimewave coming to an end on 3 July last year when we arrested him after finally climbing down from his rooftop vantage point.
Rylance, of Arundel Walk, Bircotes, would go on to be charged with multiple counts of aggravated burglary, robbery, attempted robbery, blackmail and criminal damage.
Despite the comprehensive evidence against him, he denied all the charges, which prompted a trial at Nottingham Crown Court that concluded on Thursday (18 June).
When a jury convicted him of each offence, Rylance – who refused to attend the courtroom – was sentenced the following day (19 June) to 13 years behind bars.
A 10-year restraining order was also imposed, banning him from contacting any of his victims in any way.
Detective Constable Jack Reasbeck said: "James Rylance's behaviour between 6 June and 3 July last year was utterly disgraceful and put the people he targeted through a nightmare ordeal.
"Taking the three aggravated burglaries first up, his actions – motivated purely for financial gain – left his victims terrified, with his decision to carry weapons and threaten people with them only heightening those fears further.
"The same could be said for the vulnerable man he robbed weeks earlier, with that victim forced to hand over everything he had, while being threatened with what he was led to believe was a bottle of acid.
"As the judge rightly said during his closing remarks, Rylance knew what he was doing was wrong but he just didn't care, while he had no remorse whatsoever, as he showed by his not guilty pleas and his failure to appear in court.
"Even after being caught by police, he continued to cause distress to the local community by clambering onto a rooftop and spending the next few hours hurling missiles at those below, causing all sorts of damage in the process.
"Our hope is that the lengthy prison sentence Rylance has now received will provide some respite to those he harmed with his offending."
To find out more about this story, click the link in the comment below.
