Halesowen burglar tipped off by Facebook comment

A house was burgled after a 14-year-old said on Facebook that she was going away for the weekend, a judge was told. She inadvertently tipped off a burglar by posting the comment on the website, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

Serial thief Ashley Byrd, who spotted the entry, knew where the teenager lived, Mr Mark Rees, prosecuting, said.

The 19-year-old caught a bus to the address in Wythall Road, Halesowen, when he knew that the house would be empty at lunchtime on June 23, the court was told.

He knocked at the front door to confirm that no-one was home before going to the rear of the property and throwing a brick through a window, Mr Rees said.

Byrd, who had two previous convictions for burglary, then got inside and grabbed two laptop computers worth about £800 but police had been alerted by a neighbour who heard the sound of breaking glass, Mr Rees added.

Officers arrived soon afterwards and arrested the burglar, who had also caused £350 damage to the house, the court heard.

The stolen computers were recovered intact.

Mr Rees said: "There were two children in the family, and the older one of them had put an entry on her Facebook account to the effect that she and her family were going away for the weekend."

Mr Jasvir Mann, defending, told the court that the culprit had been blighted by a drug problem for some time.

Byrd, from Gibbs Road, Lye, admitted burglary and was ordered to be detained in a Young Offenders Institution for two years and five months.

Judge Michael Dudley told him: "This was a particularly mean crime because you knew that these people had gone away.

"They returned to find a brick through their back window and two laptops stolen.

"People have to remember that information like this should not be put into the public domain where it can fall into the wrong hands," the judge added.

By John Scott