Five of the Swindon criminals sent to prison in March

Nurse grabbed masked burglar Frederick Newdick as he fled her Swindon home

A woman chased a masked raider and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck as he attempted to escape the scene of his crime.

The plucky nurse went to her kitchen after hearing noises at the back of the house and was confronted by balaclava-wearing burglar Frederick Newdick.

When he made for the garden gate, the woman and her partner held on to the thief, who also had a glass hammer on him, as he struggled for more than 10 minutes before the police arrived.

Now the couple have been awarded £500 for their bravery in catching the 37-year-old criminal, who has been jailed for three years.

Richard Williams, defending, said Newdick was ‘utterly ashamed’ of what he had had done adding he had a job as a ground worker earning £600 a month.

Having run up £3,000 of debts to drug dealers he said he had been told to burgle the property.

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Bakers Arms landlord jailed after subletting his council house

Pub landlord John Bristow, who cost local taxpayers almost £250,000 by subletting his council house, was jailed for two years.

Bristow had a property provided by the borough for more than 12 years even though he was living and working at The Bakers Arms in Upper Stratton.

As well as depriving a needy family of a home – costing taxpayers £219,680.99p – the 66-year-old even let it out, making profit on the rent.

And he told the woman to whom he was subletting to lie to the council about why she was living there and not to register her name and address with them for anything.

When he was questioned he said he had kept hold of the Penhill house for his retirement, or in case his relationship or pub tenancy collapsed.

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Man deemed 'sexual risk to children' is jailed after breaching order

Stop offending or face years – not months – in prison, Judge Robert Pawson told a Swindon man who repeatedly breached a sexual risk order imposed to protect children

Patrick Cunnington, who has never been convicted of a sex offence, was put on the order last summer as police were concerned about the risk he presented.

But the 22-year-old, who at the time was described by District Judge Simon Cooper as an uncontrolled risk, continually failed to comply with its conditions.

He continued to contact children, despite being banned from doing so, and had internet enabled devices which he was not allowed to have.

Jailing him for 10 months, Judge Robert Pawson said it was his last chance and in future the sentences would be measured in years not months.

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Ex-con with previous for holding family against their will jailed for armed 'stick up' in Swindon's Old Town

An armed man who knocked on a door and told the householder “this is a stick up” was jailed for five years.

Edward Stirling, who had armed himself with a large knife and replica gun, told the occupant to call the police, Swindon Crown Court was told.

The fake gun Stirling used in the stick up Picture: WILTSHIRE POLICE/CPS

And when officers arrived on the scene, the 51-year-old told them he had also scratched a number of cars saying he was not taken his anti-psychotic drugs for schizophrenia.

Stirling has previous convictions for taking a family hostage and waving a knife around outside an Old Town convenience store.

Jailing him, Judge Robert Pawson said: “Your repeated carrying of weapons and your unpredictability lead me to the conclusion you pose not just a risk, but a significant risk of causing serious harm by committing further offences.”

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Broad Street Picture: GOOGLE

‘The Home Office made me do it,’ claims drug dealer

A drug dealer selling up to 70 wraps a day in the Broad Street area told the police he was being forced to do it by the Home Office.

Simbar Mondhlani said the government was to blame for him setting up in business to support himself because he was banned from working.

But jailing the 31-year-old for three years Judge Robert Pawson told him that his problems were no excuse for turning to selling heroin and crack cocaine.

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