Off-duty police officer catches village burglar

AN OFF-DUTY police officer acting on his suspicions caught a burglar as he tried to escape from the scene of the crime.

Connor Page had carried out the burglary at a property in Main Street, Ratcliffe on the Wreake, on the morning of May 13 before fleeing to his getaway car.

But the police constable, who was off duty at the time, was waiting by the car after becoming concerned about the vehicle being out of place in the area.

Despite Page being in possession of a screwdriver and making threats, the off-duty officer managed to stop him from driving off and detained the defendant until police arrived.

Page, 22, of Raleigh Street, Nottingham, was charged and appeared in court the following day where he pleaded guilty to burglary.

At Leicester Crown Court on June 17, he also pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon, assault by beating, driving without insurance and driving without a licence.

He was sentenced to a total of 18 months imprisonment.

The off-duty officer had seen the Skoda Fabia car in the area of Main Road, Ratcliffe on the Wreake, at around 10.25am. The car had its driver window wide open and was out of place for the area which raised concerns for the officer. He took a picture of the car before walking along Main Street where he heard an alarm ringing at a property.

The officer was then alerted by another person regarding someone wearing dark clothing and a face covering running through the area carrying a big black case. The witness had contacted the police already.

This led to the officer returning back to the vehicle he had seen where Page also arrived. Page held the screwdriver out making threats to the officer. The officer tried to grab the screwdriver from Page before grabbing the keys from the ignition of the car.

Page then pressed the screwdriver into the chest of the officer leaving a mark and a scratch. The officer managed to disarm Page and detain him on the ground.

Other witnesses in the area also helped to detain Page before police arrived.