A barefooted burglar caught by police officers after a chase through a lake and a peat bog was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment on Tuesday, 25th January.
Stuart Lee Sumnall, 30, of Hereford Road, Brinnington, Stockport admitted a burglary charge at an earlier hearing.
Police originally became involved when two officers taking part in a Speedwatch operation with a local school on Tuesday 23rd November 2010 spotted two men acting suspiciously on Lindow Common. Sgt Andy Miller and PC Darren Jones were monitoring the speed of traffic on Altrincham Road, Wilmslow when the two men appeared to panic at the sight of the officers.
Sgt Andy Miller said: "The two men were crossing the road ahead of us carrying black rucksacks when they suddenly saw us looking in their direction. They immediately panicked and fled onto the common and one fell head over heels as he tried to jump over the knee-rail that separates the road from the footpath."
Both officers jumped into their vehicle and went after the men as they headed towards the rear of the common on Racecourse Road. They then followed on foot as the men headed into the middle of the common towards the lake.
PC Darren Jones explained: "We chased the men into the woodland and lost them for a short while before discovering one of them had jumped into the lake to avoid capture. He then swam across the lake and waded out the other side where he left his trainers and some of his clothing. He continued to run on in bare feet pursued by myself and Sgt Miller before falling into a swamp up to his waist."
He was then arrested by PC Jones with the help of more officers who had arrived and were cordoning off the perimeter of the common.
Minutes later the occupants of 120 Altrincham Road in Wilmslow phoned police to report that they had just returned home to find they had been burgled sometime between 9.30am and 11am and were unsure whether the intruders were still there. The thieves had taken alcohol and electrical items, all of which were recovered near to where the men were seen to enter the common in an effort to escape.
Sgt Miller said: "This is another case of the police being in the right place at the right time and working well as a team, resulting in the capture of a burglar in record time. Unfortunately, despite forming a cordon around the common and summoning a police helicopter and dog handlers, the outstanding offender managed to evade capture. We still hope to catch up with him at a later date."
