'I don't know why I've done it': Burglar caught by passers-by told police 'I'm sorry' after stealing from flat above Hartlepool pub

A three-strikes burglar who sneaked into the landlord's flat above a Hartlepool pub has been jailed.
Blacksmith's Arms in Hartlepool. Picture: Google.Blacksmith's Arms in Hartlepool. Picture: Google.
Blacksmith's Arms in Hartlepool. Picture: Google.

Andrew Rudd, 44, said that he had been drinking and taking drugs before he stole electrical goods from the flat at The Blacksmith's Arms on December 29.

A barmaid gave chase when she spotted him leaving with two carrier bags, Teesside Crown Court was told.

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Prosecutor Peter Sabiston said that Rudd dropped one of the bags saying "I'm sorry" and he was detained by members of the public and a firefighter from the nearby fire station who flagged down a police car.

Rudd told officers: "I don't really know why I've done it."

He had previous convictions for burglary dating back to 1996.

Andrew Teate, defending, said that Rudd fell liable to the minimum three-year sentence, but he asked for a 20% reduction because he pleaded guilty to at the earliest opportunity.

Rudd, of Keswick Street, Hartlepool, who appeared over a videolink from Durham Prison, was jailed for 876 days after he pleaded guilty to burglary.