Pub burglar from Tipton caught by DNA after taking a swig of whisky
A burglar was caught after he took a swig of whisky at the pub he was raiding.
Jonathan Highton, 36, from Tipton, left saliva on the bottle at The Eagle and Spur in Kidderminster.
Highton admitted burglary at the pub in September of last year, along with a house raid in Welshpool and at the home of a retired couple in Shrewsbury.
He was jailed for two-and-a-half years when he appeared at Mold Crown Court this week.
His barrister, John Hedgecoe told the court: "He was leading a pretty shambolic lifestyle.
"He took a drink during the burglary and left the bottle on the bar with his DNA attached."
Prosecutor Jonathan Austin said that in the early hours the defendant and others burgled the pub after gaining entry through the fire exit.
It was discovered by the cleaner at 6 am and the landlady, who lived in the flat upstairs, had heard a noise at 2am.
Spirits valued at £500 had been taken.
"He must have taken a swig from a bottle of whisky left on the bar because his DNA was found upon it," he explained.
During the Welshpool break-in, a woman returned to the family home to find a window smashed, the house ransacked and keys and valuable property stolen.
In Shrewsbury, a retired couple went for a short break and while they were away a garden ornament was thrown through a window and valuable property stolen from their home.
The judge labelled Highton's claims that he had simply been on a day out when the offences were committed 'nonsense'.
