Man with a fractured leg chases and catches burglar

Yesterday, Jordan, who had pleaded guilty to burglary and handling stolen goods, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison.

Judge Russell Finch said the crimes crossed the custody threshold.

‘This was an alarming and serious burglary,’ he said.

‘Guernsey people need a respite from your alarming activities.’

He praised the man who chased and caught Jordan despite his injuries.

‘You had the nerve to say to the victim, who acted admirably, that he had assaulted you,’ Judge Finch said, addressing Jordan.

Jordan admitted trespassing and stealing the diamond ring from an Upper St Jacques property, as well as handling stolen goods – a tandoori pot.

The court heard how witnesses who lived in the area identified Jordan as knocking on their doors that afternoon, and asking about rooms.

Another witness saw him looking at properties in Rocquettes Lane, checking out the ones with their lights off.

Just before 4pm a couple left their Upper St Jacques home to pop to the post office.

When they returned just after 4pm, they found their front door ajar and the lights off.

They kept a spare key hidden in electrical meter cupboard in the hall, which was used to open the door.

Hearing movement from inside, the man asked who was there. They heard someone leaving through the utility room.

The man gave chase, following the defendant through the garden, asking why he was there.

Jordan jumped a garden wall, which had a 20ft drop on the other side.

The man followed, but landed badly on a table, fracturing his leg and spraining his ankle.

Despite this, he kept following the defendant and made him open his bag and turn out his pockets.

In the bag was a tandoori pot – which was later discovered to have been stolen in a separate burglary. In Jordan’s pocket was found to be the woman’s ring.

The defendant, who was not known to the victims, said he was going to get his money from somebody. He then left, heading down Gibauderie and along Rosaire Avenue. The man kept up the pursuit, asking people he passed to call the police. The defendant squared up to him several times, but the victim would step back, hoping the police would arrive.

The pursuit continued down Dalgairns Road, and the man spotted some red currency in Jordan’s bag - later identified as Indian rupees taken from the pot owner’s home.

Jordan went through a garden and over a fence, breaking it. He was shouting and the victim said he sounded high.

Jordan then ran down into the Guernsey Motor Spares site and the man following him called for the workers there to help him. Jordan shouted for them to leave him alone, as he hid behind some steps.

The police arrived at 4.15pm to find Jordan surrounded by a small crowd. As Jordan was arrested he made threats to the man who had pursued him. He was taken into custody. In his bag was found a broken tandoori pot. A police media statement about it resulted in a couple coming forward. The new pot had been stolen from their kitchen, as well as six Indian rupee notes, which were later found the day after the chase on the pursuit route.

The ring’s owner said it was worth was worth £2,000 to £3,000 and had been a gift from her mother.

Jordan has maintained throughout that he had an accomplice from the Upper St Jacques burglary, who had broken into the house and handed him the ring before running away, but this version is rejected the prosecution. He would not identify the other male. He said the tandoori pot was a plant pot, as he was a landscape gardener, but would not say where he got it.

In interview he was agitated and angry, saying he was innocent.

The court heard how Jordan had 24 matters on his criminal record - half of which were for dishonesty offences.

A victim impact statement from the couple showed they were both shaken by the incident. The man suffered serious pain from his injuries and months later is still having difficulties.

Defence advocate Liam Roffey said his client had a difficult childhood and had a problem with drugs. Late last year he also faced some personal problems.

Jordan was sentenced to three years in prison for burglary and six months, consecutive, for handling stolen goods. He was also ordered to pay £32.73 compensation for the broken pot.

These offences breached a community service order. Sitting as a Magistrate’s Court judge, Judge Finch sentenced Jordan to a further two months in prison for breaching the CSO, as well as one month in prison, concurrent, for possessing the class C drug, clonazepam, which he admitted.