Burglar was so drunk he passed out then asked victims to roll him a cigarette and get him a drink

A burglar was so drunk he passed out on the job then asked his shocked victims for a glass of water and a cigarette. Paul Nolan sneaked into a family home in Kenton Bar, Newcastle, as two young children and their parents slept. But after gathering some valuables together, he collapsed on the floor of a bedroom, where he was found by the woman of the house. The victims were left bemused when the burglar then asked them to roll him a cigarette and get him a drink.

A court heard they obliged but told Nolan he had to go outside to smoke then took the opportunity to ring police. Nolan left but was traced by a police tracker dog, who found him nearby. Now the 28-year-old, of Monkseaton, North Tyneside, has been jailed for 13 months after he admitted burglary. The female victim told in a statement to Newcastle Crown Court how the break-in caused her and her family distress and worry. She said: “He didn’t accept responsibility for four months and we found it difficult to cope. The main thing to upset us was he entered my home while we were in with our young children.



“I would like the judge to know of the long-term distress he has caused and I want that to be reflected in the sentence.” The burglary happened on September 16 last year at around 11pm when at the three-storey town house in Kenton Bar. The woman was woken by the sound of Nolan in the house and found him slumped on a bedroom floor with a number of items by hit feet. Paul Currer, prosecuting, said: “He got up from the floor and sat on the bed talking to them. He appeared to be heavily under the influence of drink or drugs and said he was in the wrong house.

“He asked the male victim for a drink and to roll him a cigarette and he said he would do that if he stepped outside.” Nolan made off but the couple had called police and he was tracked down by a police dog nearby and arrested. Tony Hawks, defending, said: “One can understand entirely the distress it must have caused these people but it was fairly incompetent. He effectively passes out in the house then has to sit down and asks for a drink of water and a cigarette. However this lady did face a complete stranger in a bedroom of her house and the defendant has to take the consequences. Drink is his principle problem.”