Drunk burglar caught after handing over own wallet as an apology

A drunk burglar was caught after handing his wallet containing ID to his victim before fleeing the home he had broken in to. Leslie Morrison, 28, had been drinking all day before burgling a flat in Two Mile Hill, St George, Bristol, on his way home at 3am. Bristol Magistrates' Court heard a woman woke to find Morrison in her lounge on March 6 and confronted him. May Li, prosecuting, said the resident asked how Morrison had got in, before chasing him out of the property.

Morrison, of Whiteway Road, Speedwell, denied taking the woman's purse and gave her his own wallet as an apology. When the victim threatened to call the police, Morrison initially said he would wait to be arrested by police but then fled the scene. The court heard he left the home with a television remote control and a joss stick holder. The woman's purse, which contained £10, was also missing from the property.



When officers arrived, Morrison was arrested walking towards his home nearby. His details matched those in a driving licence found in the wallet he gave to the victim. In his police interview, he said he could not recall the flat he had burgled or being chased by the victim but said Two Mile Hill would have been one of the roads he walked along to get home. Morrison admitted stealing the remote control and joss stick holder.

Brian Carrick, defending, said: "My client was drunk and he ran away when the complainant ran after him. He was nothing short of abjectly apologetic and gave her his wallet. There was no sign of a search and no items of value were taken. The complainant was not distressed by what happened and had the courage to chase him. He was utterly compliant before taking off again." Magistrates said the offence was so serious, Morrison would need to be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on April 22.