A burglar was arrested, charged and convicted within just 48 hours following a raid at a Newcastle pub.
Stephen Palmer has been jailed for four months after the break-in at the Toby Carvery pub on Ponteland Road in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The 22-year-old forced entry to the property just after 2.30am and swiped a laptop before fleeing the scene on foot.
But the break-in activated the alarm and a team of police officers were on scene less than six minutes later.
A search of the area was conducted and Palmer, who matched the description of the suspect, was found loitering nearby.
He was arrested and found to be in possession of a haul of other suspected stolen goods. Police dog Hector was then deployed and located the laptop discarded nearby.
Palmer, of Moorview Crescent, Newcastle, was charged with burglary and handling stolen goods and appeared before the Newcastle Combined Court on Monday morning.
As well as the custodial sentence, Palmer was ordered to pay compensation of £128 and a victim surcharge of £40.
Chief Inspector Gary Richardson said: “This was a fantastic response by officers who were supported by our K9 colleagues in the Dog Section.
“Our quick response enabled to us to locate Stephen Palmer nearby who was caught red handed with a haul of what we believe to be stolen items.
“He was easily identified through our CCTV enquiries and PD Hector helped round off the job by locating the stolen laptop nearby.
“I would like to thank all our partners across the criminal justice system, including the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the courts for helping to bring this offender to justice so swiftly.
“We are delighted that this thief has been jailed and hope it reassures our communities that we are committed to putting burglars before the courts.”
