A student texted a burglar after catching him as he left his flat, saying: “Mate, please return my things and I won’t call the police”.
Tommy Lloyd, 28, and an unknown woman had come across a slightly open window in a flat in the city centre, and took the opportunity to swipe an iPhone and virtual reality headset, costing over £1,000.
As he was leaving he was met by the flat-owner who asked what he was doing. Lloyd, of Birmingham, falsely told him that a friend was stuck in the building and he was trying to get them out.
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Believing Lloyd was armed with a knife, the student backed away, allowing Lloyd and the woman to leave.
The student later texted his own phone, that Lloyd had swiped, and said: “Mate, I understand your position please return my things by 2am and I won’t call the police.”
But he had already sold both the iPhone and gaming system to buy class A drugs, Manchester Crown Court heard.
Lloyd pleaded guilty to an offence of burglary and was sentenced to a community order.
Prosecuting, Matthew Todd said Lloyd and the woman were hanging around Collier Street on November 14 last year at around 10.30pm.
“The defendant accepts that he saw the window was slightly open and he pulled it further open and entered the flat for purposes of finding items he could sell for drugs,” Mr Todd said.
“He stole an iPhone 11 and a virtual reality headset worth £1,145.”
As the student returned, he questioned Lloyd who initially said he was helping a friend who was stuck inside. He then claimed that Lloyd put his hand in his pocket in an ‘intimidating’ manner, which made him think that he had a knife.
Lloyd denied this and said there was no knife and no threat. In a statement, the student said he was left ‘really scared’ and afraid to open the windows for some time after.
Lloyd was said to have numerous previous convictions for burglary and theft.
Mitigating, Louise Kitchin said Lloyd came across an open window which was a temptation for someone in the ‘grips of a drug addiction’. She said he went on to sell the items for £50 worth of crack cocaine and heroin.
“He accepts there was an exchange with the complainant but there were no threats and no suggestion of a threat,” she said. “He does accept there may have been a perception of a threat from him because of the situation the complainant found himself in - but there was no knife and no intended suggestion of threat.
“In Birmingham he has stable accommodation, work and a partner.”
Speaking over the video-link from custody, Lloyd said: “I’ve never had so much positivity. I do actually feel bad for the geezer, yeah, and I want to pay him back.”
Sentencing, the judge, Recorder Imran Shafi KC said: “I accept this was opportunistic, it was a very tempting invite to you, with your propensity for dishonesty and taking items that don’t belong to you to fund your drug use.
“Put yourself in his position, you can imagine the distress he must have felt seeing somebody in his property and that person speaking to him. He just wanted his items back, as he made clear to you.”
Lloyd, of Boulton Road, Birmingham, was handed an 18 month community order and ordered to complete an 18 month drug rehabilitation requirement programme.
He was also ordered to pay £1,145 compensation to the student.
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