Hapless burglar who tried to escape from police after climbing onto roof is jailed for 32 months

Joseph Andrews, 30, has been jailed for 32 months following his break-in at the Earls Road flat in Southampton between July and October - when the occupant was away travelling. On his return the victim found his bedroom had been accessed and an untidy search had been undertaken inside. A laptop was also stolen.

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Forensic enquiries at the scene linked Andrews to the burglary and he was subsequently arrested at his home address in Verulam Road on October 27. On arrival of officers, Andrews tried to evade arrest by climbing onto the roof, causing damage to roof tiles in the process and also damaging the ceiling in the stairwell of the black of flats.

Andrews was charged with burglary and criminal damage, both of which he admitted when he appeared at Southampton Crown Court. At the hearing, he was sentenced immediately to 32 months in prison.

Detective sergeant Simon Price, from the Operation Hawk team, said: ‘Burglary has a huge impact on victims. It leaves people feeling incredibly vulnerable in the place where they should feel the most safe of all – their own home.

‘The Operation Hawk team is committed to targeting dwelling burglary perpetrators such as Joseph Andrews, and I hope that this prison sentence not only reassures the local community, but provides victims with the confidence to report to police if they’re ever affected by this type of crime.’

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