‘Unlucky’ burglar takes a beating after he is tackled by rugby star
A HAPLESS burglar picked the wrong house when he broke into the home of professional rugby league player Jon Magrin. John Calvert, 23, was still sporting a black eye four days later in his police mugshot after being tackled by the Bradford Bulls prop forward. Habitual criminal Calvert and an accomplice broke into the player’s flat in Bradford and helped themselves to £500 in cash and a games console, a court heard.
But as they tried to leave they were confronted by 6ft 1in, 16d stone Magrin who arrived home from training.
Dave MacKay, prosecuting at Bradford Crown Court, said: “The defendant tried to run away. Using his day-to-day playing skills, Mr Magrin rugby-tackled him to the floor.” After a violent struggle Calvert, 23, of Bradford, pulled out a screwdriver and lashed out, cutting the player’s ear.
Jailing him for three years, Judge Jonathan Rose said it was the defendant’s misfortune that his victim was a rugby league player and not a woman – against whom he had used violence in a previous offence. The judge said Magrin had shown courage in standing up to him and he was extremely fortunate not to be seriously injured.
Speaking at the Bulls’ training ground after the case, Magrin, 22, said he was pleased with the sentence.
Recalling the incident last November, he said: “I saw my lights were on. I’d left them off so I ran straight in and saw the door had been kicked in. I grabbed one guy but he pulled out a screwdriver and went for me.”