Jail for dozy burglar went to bed and fell asleep during raid on house

A burglar had to be woken up by police after he climbed into bed and fell asleep midway through ransacking a home in Leeds. Officers found Frankie Flannigan fast asleep after they were called to the house by the homeowner who was shocked to find him in the property when she returned home.

Flannigan, 22, was jailed for 18 months on Friday after pleading guilty to burgling the house in Gledhow, on September 22 last year. Leeds Crown Court heard Flannigan’s victim lives next door to his mother. On the day of the offence Flannigan turned up drunk at his mother’s house and she told him to go away.



Flannigan then went to his grandmother’s house but she also told him to leave because of his drunken state. Carmel Pearson, prosecuting, said Flannigan then smashed a window before searching the property and stealing electrical items including a TV, laptop and an Xbox.

Flannigan took the items from the property and left them next to a bin outside his mother’s home before going back into the house. Miss Pearson said the victim returned home around 5.45pm to find glass all over the house and property missing. She contacted police and they arrived to find Flannigan asleep in an upstairs bedroom. He was arrested and pleaded guilty to the offence at the earliest opportunity.