Burglar caught after tripping over with three £1k televisions on his shoulder

Marcin Oszust was carrying three flat screen TVs out of the Fusion Building in the early hours of April 5 when he was stopped by security staff who had spotted a group of intruders through the glass frontage.

Oszust, 30, stumbled and fell as he was apprehended - but the rest of the gang ran, leaving him behind.

Prosecuting the case at Bournemouth Magistrates' Court, Alison Saunders said the building was being used to store expensive audio-visual equipment.

"At least two men were seen carrying boxes, which contained 55-inch flat screen televisions that are worth £1,115 each," Ms Saunders said.

"When challenged, the men dropped the boxes in order to make their escape. Unfortunately for the defendant, he stumbled.

"He was carrying three boxes strapped together on his left shoulder.

"When he fell, security officers were able to detain him."

A number of other people are being questioned in connection with the incident, but Oszust is currently the only person to be charged.

The total value of the seven televisions that were being taken from the building reached £7,805, Ms Saunders said.

Mitigating, Paul Bevan said Oszust "wasn't the mastermind" of the plot, and had instead been deceived by the offer of work.

However, Mr Bevan accepted that the defendant must have realised that what his 'colleagues' were doing wasn't "legitimate" at some point during the raid.

"[Oszust] accepts that he became part of what happened through recklessness," he said.

Probation Service officers who compiled a report on the defendant said he was "desperate" and struggling to take care of his young family.

Oszust, who lives in Bullar Road, Southampton, was sentenced to eight weeks in prison suspended for 12 months after admitting burglary on his first appearance before a court.

As he had breached a conditional discharge, magistrates also sentenced him to 80 hours of unpaid work.