An attempt to break, enter and steal from a charity shop by a man in the United Kingdom has gone despairingly wrong after the criminal accidentally triggered the intruder alarm mid-robbery.
Thomas Crampton had embarked on a mission to ransack the Mind charity shop on Mansfield Road in the suburb of Sherwood when the 31-year-old inadvertently activated a blaring alarm that signalled a robbery was underway.
Nearby, Nottinghamshire Police heard the loud siren ringing, and being almost 2:30 in the morning, were quick to realise that something scandalous was unfolding.
Officers on patrol promptly arrived at the scene to investigate the break-in and were met with the discovery that the front door of the shop had been smashed.
But that wasn't all they discovered.
Once entering the premises, they searched the store, attempting to find answers to break-in.
Before long, they were directed to the washroom, where they presented with Mr Crampton hopelessly hiding in the staff toilets.
The inept thief was subsequently arrested and charged with burglary.
Court Hears Burglar Had A History of Break-in and Theft Offences
On Monday 7 March 2022, Mr Crampton faced Nottingham Magistrates' Court where he admitted to two counts of burglary.
Inside the court, it was heard that he had used a brick to smash through the charity shop's glass doors and get inside the property.
It was also hear that on 28 February 2022, he had burgled a business premises in a nearby suburb, during which he had again used a brick to shatter through the doors.
Making matters worse, the man also admitted to a theft at the Springfield Retail Par, just the day before his Sherwood break-in offence.
Ultimately, Mr Crampton was jailed for 32 weeks after he admitted to his crimes.
In a statement from Nottinghamshire Police, Police Constable Rebekah Jackson commended the efforts of officers to "flush out" the robber.
"This was a great bit of work by officers who were alerted by the sound of the shop's alarm," Constable Jackson said.
"After bravely heading inside through the hole Crampton had left for them, they were soon able to flush him out of his hiding place and arrest him."
Constable Jackson added that break-ins, such as that carried out by Mr Crampton, come at costs for small businesses.
"Burglaries like these have a very significant impact on small businesses who face significant costs to repair the damage left behind," she said.
"I am pleased Crampton has now been brought to justice and hope he uses this spell behind bars to reassess the way he is living his life."
Breaking and Entering Laws in New South Wales
As most would assume, it is a criminal offence to break into a house or premises and steal property or carry out any other serious indictable offence.
If you are in NSW, the law on this is outlined in section 112 of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW).
Section 112 states that a person who breaks and enters any dwelling-house or other building and commits any serious indictable offence within, or being in any dwelling-house or other building commits any serious indictable offence within and breaks out of the dwelling-house or other building, can face a maximum penalty of 14 years in jail.
A serious indictable offence refers to any crime that carries a maximum penalty of at least five years in jail.
Examples include sexual assault, assault occasioning bodily harm, and larceny, which is a common serious indictable offence.
Defences to the charge of break, enter and steal include mistaken identity, that authority was given to enter the dwelling-house or premises, duress or necessity.
