A bungling burglar was caught by his student victims when they found him fast asleep and snoring loudly on the living room sofa.
The sleepy thief, Ian Carr, was in the middle of burgling Michael Kitchen and Matthew Thompson at their Newcastle home when he nodded off half way through.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how Mr Kitchen had gone for a drink in the early hours of the morning, and discovered the burglar in his living room.
Prosecutor Neil Pallister said: “When he went in the living room he noticed the defendant was on the sofa, fast asleep… He had his head back and was snoring loudly.”
Mr Kitchen told Mr Thompson and they phoned the police and waited in the hallway until the police arrived. When the police arrived they found the defendant still sleeping on the sofa. He was woken up and arrested.
The court heard Carr targeted the first floor flat, in Heaton, in the early hours of November 3, getting in through an unlocked patio door.
Carr was found wearing Mr Kitchen’s jacket and had stolen items, including some Armani aftershave and a wallet, in the pockets.
A laptop, charging cable and mouse were also found in a carrier bag on the balcony. He had also taken the keys to a Mini outside, from which he stole cash and trolley tokens. It is thought he was in the process of putting the rest of his haul in the car when he dozed off.
Carr, 29, has 95 previous offences, five of which are for burglary.
Mr Kitchen said in a victim statement: “I feel shocked and shaken by what happened… I feel my sofa and belongings are now contaminated.”
Carr, said he had taken 12 valium tablets and methadone that day. He plead guilty to burglary and theft and was jailed for two years and eight months.
Judge, Tim Gittins, while sentencing said:
What is clear is that while you still had enough about you to commit this sort of offence, you were so intoxicated, ultimately you fell asleep on their sofa.
They found you there when they came into the lounge during the early hours of the morning.
They were understandably shocked and distressed by seeing you there and the fact you burgled their home in the dead of night.
Shaun Routledge, defending, said:
Clearly his offending is acquisitive crime to pay for heroin and valium and the like.
There is only one way to stop him offending and that is to try to stop him taking drugs when he is released.
This isn’t the first time Carr’s been a thick thief, in the past he’s left a trail in the snow allowing police to catch him.
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.