'Not a chance' - Burglar left hanging off a drainpipe after coming face-to-face with no-nonsense homeowner

Paul Birtwell
-Credit: (Image: Accrington Observer)


A burglar was found hanging off a drainpipe after a run in with the homeowner.

Paul Birtwell, 32, left a trail of blood across the floor and bathroom when he smashed a downstairs window and broke in. But he was confronted by the householder, who was protecting his wife and baby son.

At 9.40pm on February 18, the man and his wife heard an 'almighty crash' and thought something had fallen over in their house. The man jumped out of bed and checked on the baby, who was awake and crying, but absolutely fine. He rushed to the stairs and heard a man's voice shouting, 'help me! Help me!'

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The man told his wife to call the police as Birtwell tried to unlock the front door from the inside. A rear window was broken and Birtwell's hand was bleeding profusely.

As the occupant went to put his dressing gown on, Birtwell ran up the stairs. The man grabbed the intruder and threw him against the wall. Birtwell pleaded to be allowed to climb out of the window, but the man replied: "Not a chance. I've got my wife and kid here. You'll stay here till the police arrive."

Birtwell's hand was dripping blood all over the carpet so the man pushed him into the bathroom. The intruder tried to grab a towel to stem the bleeding, but the man stopped him. Birtwell pleaded that his hand was 'bleeding out' but the man replied: "I don't care. That's what you get for breaking into someone's house. You can use your own jacket."

When the police arrived, Birtwell was hanging from a drainpipe on the outside of the house. He climbed back in through the window and was arrested and taken into custody.

In a victim impact statement, the householder said the incident had left him feeling on edge in his home. He was concerned the intruder may have accomplices who would come back to the property, he said.

His wife was also traumatised by Birtwell bursting into their home while their baby was asleep. Birtwell, of Burnley Road, Accrington, appeared at Preston Crown Court to be sentenced for burglary, criminal damage, and vehicle taking and driving offences relating to a separate incident, when he was caught driving a stolen Audi Q3. He was jailed for 27 months.

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