Typical teenager
Discussion
rossendale free press said:
A BURGLAR armed with a crowbar got more than he bargained for when he broke into a house in Waterfoot.
Rather than escaping with expensive goods, the intruder ended up pinned to the floor by the burly householder.
But the good news for the burglar was that Nigel Birch contained his anger and merely chatted to him until police arrived.
Churchgoer Nigel came face-to-face with the intruder in the early hours on Monday. He had been out to check an automatic alarm at Edgeside Baptist Church as he is one of the keyholders.
But he had forgotten to close his front door, giving the opportunist thief a chance to sneak inside and search through his belongings.
Brave Nigel, of Park Road, Waterfoot, said: ‘I was out of the house for probably five minutes at most. I came back home and there was a smell of smoke and a pile of clothes on the kitchen floor; I thought my wife had got up to do some washing. I got back into bed and my wife Heather said she heard banging downstairs while I was out, so I went back down to check. My satnav and laptop were on the table and I thought, "That’s not right".’
As he searched the rest of the house, he stumbled upon the burglar sitting in his front room holding the crowbar.
Nigel, who is in his 50s, added: ‘He was sat there with a crowbar in hand. I asked him what he was doing and he told me he did not mean to come into my house.
‘I jumped on him and sat on his legs so he was unable to swing the crowbar at me. I managed to get it off him and kept him talking while my wife called the police.
‘I was not scared because I did not have the chance to think. It was the middle of the night and I was on auto pilot.’
Nigel said he took the chance to discuss the offender’s life story, why he had broken into his house, where he was from and his personal circumstances.
After a few minutes the police arrived and arrested the culprit.
‘We were very fortunate that he was not violent but I think he was more scared of me than I was of him,’ Nigel joked.
‘He may have been out looking for somewhere to go and saw me leave my door open and then set off in my car. I was only gone five minutes or so and when I got back I locked the door behind me so he was stuck inside.
‘My wife was petrified at the time but we have had a bit of a laugh about it since. My son Calum, who is 14 years old but about 6ft tall, was annoyed because he was asleep, missed all the action and was not able to help.’
Pc Phil Buck, crime prevention officer for Rossendale, said: ‘The actions of Nigel were very commendable.
‘However the advice from us is that if you do suspect that there is an intruder in your home, call the police immediately.
‘You should make noise so the offender can hear you and if you feel up to it, shout that you have called the police. Try to avoid confrontation with the offender.’
He added: ‘In this instance the outcome has led to an arrest and no-one has been injured. It could have been very different.’
A 43-year-old man from Waterfoot has been charged with burglary and released on police bail.
http://www.rossendalefreepress.co.uk/news/s/1103605_big_nigel_nicks_his_burglarRather than escaping with expensive goods, the intruder ended up pinned to the floor by the burly householder.
But the good news for the burglar was that Nigel Birch contained his anger and merely chatted to him until police arrived.
Churchgoer Nigel came face-to-face with the intruder in the early hours on Monday. He had been out to check an automatic alarm at Edgeside Baptist Church as he is one of the keyholders.
But he had forgotten to close his front door, giving the opportunist thief a chance to sneak inside and search through his belongings.
Brave Nigel, of Park Road, Waterfoot, said: ‘I was out of the house for probably five minutes at most. I came back home and there was a smell of smoke and a pile of clothes on the kitchen floor; I thought my wife had got up to do some washing. I got back into bed and my wife Heather said she heard banging downstairs while I was out, so I went back down to check. My satnav and laptop were on the table and I thought, "That’s not right".’
As he searched the rest of the house, he stumbled upon the burglar sitting in his front room holding the crowbar.
Nigel, who is in his 50s, added: ‘He was sat there with a crowbar in hand. I asked him what he was doing and he told me he did not mean to come into my house.
‘I jumped on him and sat on his legs so he was unable to swing the crowbar at me. I managed to get it off him and kept him talking while my wife called the police.
‘I was not scared because I did not have the chance to think. It was the middle of the night and I was on auto pilot.’
Nigel said he took the chance to discuss the offender’s life story, why he had broken into his house, where he was from and his personal circumstances.
After a few minutes the police arrived and arrested the culprit.
‘We were very fortunate that he was not violent but I think he was more scared of me than I was of him,’ Nigel joked.
‘He may have been out looking for somewhere to go and saw me leave my door open and then set off in my car. I was only gone five minutes or so and when I got back I locked the door behind me so he was stuck inside.
‘My wife was petrified at the time but we have had a bit of a laugh about it since. My son Calum, who is 14 years old but about 6ft tall, was annoyed because he was asleep, missed all the action and was not able to help.’
Pc Phil Buck, crime prevention officer for Rossendale, said: ‘The actions of Nigel were very commendable.
‘However the advice from us is that if you do suspect that there is an intruder in your home, call the police immediately.
‘You should make noise so the offender can hear you and if you feel up to it, shout that you have called the police. Try to avoid confrontation with the offender.’
He added: ‘In this instance the outcome has led to an arrest and no-one has been injured. It could have been very different.’
A 43-year-old man from Waterfoot has been charged with burglary and released on police bail.
typical teenager - will sleep though anything!
Some useless people in blue uniform said:
However the advice from us is that if you do suspect that there is an intruder in your home, call the police immediately. However, like war, we are good for absolutley nothing and wont do sweet FA about it unless the scrote hurts himself while in your house
EFA
Gassing Station | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff