Burglar caught sitting on the toilet

Helen Skene

A PUB burglar was literally caught with his pants down after his nervousness forced him to the lavatory, a court heard.

And 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 was among a gang of men hiding in a staff toilet at The Harvester pub in Lowestoft, where they were planning to steal wine, Ipswich Crown court heard yesterday.

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 up 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.