A sleepy Sunderland burglar was caught having a nap as he raided a city centre restaurant.
Mark Cooper, 41, of Victoria Place, Sunderland, admitted a charge of burglary when he appeared at South Tyneside Magistrates' Court on Monday, 26th October 2020.
Non-dwelling burglary, as in this case, is an offence under section 9 of the Theft Act 1968. It is triable either way and has a maximum sentence of 26 weeks' custody on summary conviction or 10 years' custody on conviction on indictment.
Police received a report of a break in at 808 Bar & Kitchen on St Thomas' Street during the early hours of Saturday, 24th October 2020.
Given the location of the venue, officers were on the scene within 4 minutes. They entered the premises to find the hapless burglar fast asleep beside what remained of a half-eaten cheesecake.
Magistrates' sentenced Cooper to 26 weeks' custody and ordered him to pay £30 compensation to the business.
Detective Constable Catherine Gibson, of Northumbria Police, said: "This burglary clearly proved to be tiring work for Cooper, and it’s safe to say he was brought back to the real world with a bump when awoken by our officers.
"This was a fantastic piece of police work between various teams - from the response cops who attended the scene so quickly to the detectives who pulled together the case to secure his conviction.
"As a result, a burglar who showed a total disregard for his victim and the wider community was arrested, convicted and put behind bars - all within 48 hours.
"We will not tolerate this kind of criminality and we understand that burglary is a crime that has a corrosive impact on society. As a result, I hope this positive and swift action acts as reassurance to businesses that we will take decisive action against burglars and thieves."
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