Woman in brave bid to catch a burglar

A woman tried bravely to catch a burglar who confronted her as she returned to her Kidderminster home late at night, a court was told.

While her partner was parking their car in Bewdley Road, she grabbed Neil Chamberlain as he came out of their lounge, but he managed to break free and escape, said Miss Jo Barker, prosecuting.

Chamberlain, aged 22, of Usmere Road, Broadwaters, Kidderminster, was jailed for three years.

He was already on bail for a raid on a Bewdley farmhouse when he targeted the Kidderminster property and had burgled five houses since 2001, Miss Barker told Worcester Crown Court.

Chamberlain changed his pleas to guilty as he was about to face trial.

Chamberlain explained in a letter to Judge Alistair McCreath that he initially denied the charges because the prison authorities would not have allowed him to see his partner and son over the Christmas period if he was a convicted inmate.

The judge said the letter, which set out his hopes for a crime-free future, had helped reduce the sentence which could have been four-and-a-half years. Other factors were his youth and guilty pleas.

Chamberlain left fingerprints on an envelope and a tea caddy, the court heard.