A burglar dropped a laptop he’d stolen minutes earlier after being confronted by fast-moving officers.
Andrew Harris had a MacBook Air hidden under his jacket when he was spotted walking along a street in Radford.
Believing he could be responsible for a burglary at a flat nearby seven minutes earlier, police stopped him in Patterson Road.
Harris responded to this by dropping the concealed laptop and confessing on the spot – telling officers “I did it, I’m a burglar”.
That discovery came only minutes after someone caught the 58-year-old red-handed as he was breaking into an address in Bentinck Road.
Harris was in the process of climbing through a bedroom window when someone inside the flat spotted him and threw a bowl of food in his direction.
Despite being disturbed, the intruder was still able to snatch a laptop from inside the address before fleeing from the scene on the evening of 23 October.
He didn’t get far though before responding officers detained him, recovered the now-damaged MacBook, and seized a screwdriver Harris had been carrying too.
Harris, of Severn Street, Bulwell, would go on to plead guilty to the separate charges of burglary and going equipped for burglary that were put to him.
Appearing before Nottingham Crown Court to be sentenced on Friday (28 November), he was jailed for four years.
Detective Sergeant Rob Palethorpe, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“I can only imagine how distressing it must’ve been for the flat’s occupant to see Andrew Harris climbing in through their bedroom window.
“Despite being caught in the act as he was breaking in, that didn’t stop the thief grabbing whatever he could get his hands on before fleeing from the scene.
“Thanks to the victim raising the alarm as quickly as they did, our officers were rapidly on the scene and had Harris in cuffs within just seven minutes.
“The shock of being caught so fast also prompted the thief to immediately confess to what he’d done, which paved the way for the four-year prison sentence he’s now received.
“Burglary is an incredibly invasive crime that can cause long-lasting damage to people’s lives, so we’re pleased to see Harris get a sentence that matches the seriousness of his offence.”
