HERCULE PARROT
Burglar is collared by a bird
PET parrot Charlie has been hailed a hero after his noisy squawks helped snare a burglar.
Jake Fletcher had raided two homes in the same night but when he broke into a third he woke the bird, whose cries alerted owner Emma Dazeley. She went downstairs, “saw the defendant hiding behind the door and confronted him”, a court heard.
He “pushed past her and ran out of the back door” but
Emma grabbed hold of a stolen rucksack he had on his back as he tried to climb a fence – and he was arrested.
Emma, 41, said of Charlie: “He loves a good squawk and he did the trick that night when the burglar came. He’s my hero.
“I know that alerted me to what was going on and that led to him being arrested.
“I did what I needed to do to bring him to justice. I was just trying to protect my home – and Charlie did his bit too.
“I don’t think I was brave, maybe stupid, but he didn’t do anything to me so I was lucky. It could have been a different story.”
At Cardiff Crown Court, Judge Richard Williams praised Emma’s courage and awarded her £500.
But she cannot share it with Charlie as he has vanished.
Emma added: “I was going to give him some cuttlefish as that’s his favourite. But I’m sorry to say that he’s not here any more.
“He’s been gone for weeks now and I really miss him. I had Charlie for six years and he was a great pet. He’s my hero and I want him back.”
Fletcher, 24, of Newport, south Wales, pleaded guilty to the three burglaries in Monmouth in June last year and was jailed for two years.