Father chased thief up street

Barefooted have-a-go dad in pyjamas set off in pursuit of housebreaker

A 56-year-old Fife dad ran out of his house in his pyjamas and bare feet to chase a drugged-up housebreaker who had ransacked his daughter’s bedroom.

Have-a-go father John Hawkins pursued the tattoed thief from his home, out of the garden, up a hill and into the next street, shouting at him to return the stolen goods.

Housebreaker John O’Connell eventually threw away his haul including a bank card, passport and cheque book and ran off.

Mr Hawkins was disturbed by noise in his home early in the morning and discovered his daughter’s bedroom had been “turned upside down”.

Connell had broken into the ground floor room by prising the window open, but fortunately the girl was away staying overnight at a friend’s house.

Heroin addict Connell, 31, a prisoner at Perth, who has a distinctive tattoo on his face and previous convictions running to 10 pages, appeared in the dock at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

He admitted that on October 27 last year he broke into the property in Park Place, Dunfermline, and stole items including a cheque book, bank card, travellers’ cheques, driving licence and foreign currency.

Depute fiscal Graeme Jessop told the court that Mr Hawkins and his wife Morag, 53, live with their daughters in a house overlooking Dunfermline’s Public Park.

At 6.30am, the couple woke up after hearing noises coming from the downstairs bedroom of their daughter, who was away at the time.

“John Hawkins made his way downstairs and noticed that the bedroom light was on and the bedroom window was wide open,” said Mr Jessop.

“Alarmed, Mr Hawkins went outside and at this time saw the side security light activate and a male run from the side of the house and away from the locus towards the junction of Transy Place.

“Mr Hawkins gave chase and caught up with the accused at Transy Place. Mr Hawkins shouted to the accused to drop the items he was carrying.

“The accused threw a passport, driving licence, cheque book, coins and bank card at John Hawkins.”

Two neighbours were awakened by shouting. They looked out their bedroom window and “observed a male throwing items towards Mr Hawkins who was in his pyjamas and bare feet”.

One of the neighbours went outside, spoke to Mr Hawkins and then the two went looking for the thief but he had disappeared. They searched the surrounding streets but could not find him.

It was later discovered that the ground floor window had been levered up using a garden fork and that Connell had entered the bedroom, hallway and office area before being disturbed.

Police also found a “one-hit kit” used by heroin addicts, which had been left lying on the floor. DNA from the fork and drug kit linked the crime to Connell, who had been living in Upper Millhill Street at the time, not far from the scene of the break-in.

Sheriff Craig McSherry jailed Connell for 20 months.