Loo break foiled burglar

A SUFFOLK pub burglar was caught after his nervousness forced him to the lavatory a court heard.

Domesticated Anthony Williams then led police straight to him by squirting toilet cleaner around the bowl leaving his fingerprints on the bottle.

The 31-year-old joined a gang of men intent on stealing wine from The Harvester Public House in Lowestoft Ipswich Crown court heard.

Andrew Shaw, prosecuting, said a pub employee, Lucy Jillings, had returned to The Harvester late on March 25 to give her colleague Natasha Marsh a lift home. Mr Shaw said Miss Jillings heard noises coming from the ladies staff toilet and was confronted by a gang of masked men and Williams sitting on the toilet.

As the gang tied her hands with plastic tie wraps Miss Marsh arrived in the staff area and was also tied by the gang before they left.

Mr Shaw said Williams who did not wear a mask put cleaner down the toilet before leaving but left two fingerprints on the bottle and was positively identified by Miss Jillings.

Williams, of St Matthews Court, London pleaded guilty to burglary.

The court heard that he had been at a party drinking and taking cocaine when a group of men suggested stealing from the pub they believed would be empty.

Mr Shaw said: “He saw the others had scarves and plastic tie wraps. He got scared and due to his nervousness he ended up on the lavatory.”

Neil Macaulay, mitigating, said his client who had a record of previous offences had “expressed sympathy for the victims who stumbled across the burglary”.

He said Williams had an alcohol problem and all his offending had been committed when he was drunk.

Judge John Holt said: “You joined a group with the intention of stealing from The Harvester. You then lost your nerve, probably because you realised the group was intent on violence but I must sentence you for a joint enterprise to burgle”.

Williams was jailed for eight months.