Former semi-professional footballer high on drugs and alcohol fell down stairs burgling house

Arthur Appleton, whose sporting career was cut short by injury, was one of two men who raided a nine-bedroom property in Hazel Lane, Great Wyrley in February this year.

Appleton, aged 33, of Broad Meadow Lane, Great Wyrley, fell downstairs with a stolen TV and was arrested after police found the broken electrical item at his home.

He admitted a charge of burglary at Stafford Crown Court on Wednesday and was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months.

He was also ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work and must undertake an alcohol abuse programme.

Judge Michael Chambers QC told him: "You started life with a lot of promise as a professional footballer, but whatever your difficulties, it was no excuse for committing a burglary."

Appleton and his accomplice had got in to a self-contained bedsit extension to the home of Mrs Sarah Degg on February 17.

Mr Robert Edwards, prosecuting, said Mrs Degg was woken by a noise around 5.30am and heard voices outside. She saw two figures near the stairs to the bedsit and she shouted at them. Her husband also shouted a warning and the two men drove off at speed in a transit van.

By chance, a policeman saw the van parked in a lay-by and thought he recognised the defendant in it. Before he could clarify his suspicions, the van drove off.

Officers went to Appleton's home later the same day. He was found hiding in the garden and the TV set stolen in the burglary was recovered from his house.

The defendant's fingerprint was subsequently found on a pot in the burgled property.

Also stolen in the burglary was a laptop computer which has never been found, Mr Edwards said.

Mr Stephen Worlock, defending, told the court that Appleton had been a professional footballer until an injury ended his career at the age of 25.

"He did not set out to offend that night. He wanted to buy MCAT and what happened, happened by chance, " he said. "Having entered the flat, he picked up the TV and fell downstairs with it. It was broken when police recovered it."

Mr Worlock added: "Appleton was a father of three and his pregnant partner's baby was due at any time. The last thing he needed was getting involved in a drunken and drug-induced night out.

"This doesn't seem to be an offence of a professional burglar going out looking for a victim but something that occurred on the spur of the moment."