Hartlepool burglar stranded 30 miles from home asked police for lift

John Halse, 25, and an accomplice, who was declared unfit to plead after his arrest, were attempting to walk to Hartlepool from Northallerton when they targeted a farm workshop.

The pair were spotted and Teesside Crown Court was told how Halse offered to fight the farmer after picking up a piece of wood.

The judge, Recorder Abdul Iqbal, branded Halse's behaviour “silly” as he sentenced him to a community order.

He said: "These are silly offences, especially for a man who is not heavily convicted like you.

"It's really because you don't have a long criminal record that I am not going to send you to prison immediately."

Shaun Dryden, prosecuting, said the the pair first came to the attention of the police when they were spotted walking along the road in the early hours of June 29 last year.

He said: "The defendant said he had been to a party in Northallerton and was walking towards Hartlepool, which is obviously some distance away.

"He asked the officer for a lift but this was refused. The police pointed out they were not a taxi service.

"It was clear from their demeanour that they were under the influence of intoxicants but the police let them get on their way."

Mr Dryden said they then started to call 999 and ask for a lift home before threatening to harm themselves and one of the defendants threatened to steal a quad bike.

The court heard how two men were seen by a farmer at around 7am with two of their quad bikes placed in a field.

Mr Dryden said that Halse made off when the farmer and his son confronted them.

He added: "This defendant was aggressive towards the farmer saying that he wanted to fight him.

"At one point he picked up a piece of wood in both hands, put it above his head and was waving it around threatening to hit the farmer."

He said the police then arrived and arrested the pair.

Halse, of Kilmarnock Street, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to a non-dwelling burglary and threatening behaviour.

Stephen Constantine, mitigating, said that Halse was now able to do unpaid work after being “signed off the sick”.

Halse was given a 12-month community order and told to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work

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