Householder took on bungling burglar who was caught after he dropped his mobile phone

And at Warwick Crown Court Marcus Wilshire, 38, of Guys Cliffe Avenue, Leamington, pleaded guilty to the burglary.

Jailing him for three years and four months, Judge Alan Parker told him it would have been five years if it had not been for his early guilty plea.

Prosecutor Lal Amarasinghe said that on June 16 the owner of a house in Rugby Road, Leamington, went downstairs to the kitchen at 6.20 in the morning.

He opened the kitchen door while he made a cup of tea, and then went back upstairs.

When he came down again just ten minutes later he saw Wilshire walking through the house and, assuming it was a friend of one of his adult children staying over at the house, said hello.

But when he got no reply he realised Wilshire was an intruder and hit him over the back of the head with his forearm.

Wilshire reacted by 
striking him violently with his elbow and then ran from the house into the back garden where he began to clamber over the gate.

The householder gave chase and tricked to get him down by punching him to the kidneys, but Wilshire kicked him in the face, knocking him over, and got over the gate before cycling from the scene.

He had got away with a credit card, two passports and £30 in cash – but as he scrambled over the gate he had dropped a camera from the house and his own mobile phone.

As a result Wilshire, who had a number of 
convictions for dishonesty including burglary, was traced and arrested.

Jailing Wilshire, Judge Parker told him: “The 
occupier was at home, and you knew he was at home, and you used violence on him by kicking him.

“There was a degree of planning because you had been out and about burgling and you took the 
opportunity that his 
opening of his back door presented.”