DOZY BURGLAR WHO FELL ASLEEP ON THE JOB
A boozed-up burglar was caught in the act when he fell asleep behind the bar of a nightclub he was raiding.
Drunk Trevor Palmer and three others were captured on CCTV breaking into to the Basement Club, in Sunderland armed with metal bars.
The men ransacked the pub and smashed their way into a safe, causing £9,000 worth of damage, before three of the four made-off.
But Newcastle Crown Court heard the raid took its toll on Palmer, who settled down to sleep behind the bar.
When the manager was alerted to the raid the next morning, he found the sleepy 25-year-old, still snoozing.
Palmer, of Perth Road, Plains Farm, in Sunderland, who was photographed still sleeping at the crime scene, admitted burglary.
He also pleaded guilty to a break-in at McDonald’s, where he stole straws, cookies and a high-visibility jacket – which he was caught wearing during his getaway.
Judge Stephen Earl sentenced him to a total of 18 months behind bars.
The judge said the breakin at McDonald’s was one of the most “inept” he had seen.
The court heard during the McDonald’s burglary, which was less than a week earlier, Palmer and a female associate had broken into a branch of the fast food giant in Ryhope, in Sunderland, in the early hours.
He again was caught on CCTV, this time smashing a window in the drive thru and stealing straws, cookies and a high-visibility jacket.
Alec Burns, mitigating, said, since being in custody Palmer, who has 55 past convictions for 94 offences, had used his time constructively.