Beans means jail term for burglar

Andrew Nolan was sentenced to 15 months in jail

A burglar has been jailed after helping himself to a tin of beans and sausages during a break-in and leaving his fingerprints all over the empty tin.

Andrew Nolan, 21, tucked into the Heinz snack while burgling a property in North Shields, North Tyneside.

He escaped with a haul worth hundreds of pounds, but police later tracked him down through his prints, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Nolan, of no fixed abode, admitted burglary and was jailed for 15 months.

The hearing heard how he got into the property in Knotts Flats, North Shields, through a window between 4 and 6 March.

You could say his hunger cost him his liberty Det Con Nick Lawrence

After helping himself to the snack he stole an Xbox games console worth £300 and £225 worth of clothes.

Det Con Nick Lawrence, of North Shields CID, said: "Taking and eating the tin of beans directly led to this young man being caught by the police.

"You could say his hunger cost him his liberty. This was an unusual crime for the area concerned and we are pleased he has received a custodial sentence.

"I hope this sentence will deter others from committing burglaries and reassure the residents of North Shields that these types of serious offences are rigorously investigated."