Burglar caught after drunken walk through Shrewsbury with crossbow on his back is jailed
Simon Budd had ransacked a property in Monkmoor before being seen with a crossbow.
A burglar with an “appalling criminal record” who ransacked a house and made off with jewellery and other items before he was spotted in Shrewsbury, drunk and with a crossbow on his back, has been jailed.
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Simon Budd, 44, previously of Spring Gardens, threw a brick through a kitchen window to gain access to a residential property in the Monkmoor area of Shrewsbury on September 25 this year, Shrewsbury Crown Court heard on Friday.
Ms Alexa Carrier, prosecuting, said Budd “ransacked” the home and made off with items that included jewellery - much of it of “sentimental value” - a Bosch drill, trainers and clothing.
She said the occupants were away during the burglary but their CCTV system notified them via their mobile phone to the intruder and they called police.
The footage was eventually used by police to identify Budd.
But Ms Carrier said three days later at around 6.50pm, members of the public called police to say an “intoxicated” man was seen in Shrewsbury walking around with a crossbow on his back.
She told the court that Budd was tracked to his mother’s house - still intoxicated - where police attended but the crossbow carrying burglar had fled by the time they arrived.
She said, however, officers found the crossbow along with several others at the property, and they were seized.
Police finally caught up with the offender at an address in Monkmoor, where “volatile” Budd was standing on the stair to the property, with officers unsure if he was still armed.
Ms Proctor said a police dog was sent in to disable Budd, but despite being bitten by the animal, officers eventually had to taser the intoxicated burglar to make the arrest.
Outside the property Budd then spat at the dog handler and two PCs.
The barrister told the court that the 44-year-old went on to admit the burglary, possession of an offensive weapon and two counts of assaulting an emergency worker.
She added that he had 44 previous convictions, mainly for dishonesty and crimes against the person, and the most recent burglary was his fourth - which would trigger the “three strikes rule” outlined by Parliament meaning he faced a minimum of three years in jail.
Judge Trevor Meegan said Budd had an “appalling record” adding: “Everyone is entitled to feel safe in their own property.
“Burglary has consequences that go beyond just economic loss.”
He jailed Budd for a total of three years and ten months for all offences and ordered all the crossbows be destroyed.