Parrot's squawks put serial burglar behind bars
- Published
Charlie the family's parrot (not pictured) raised the alarm with its squawks
A parrot has helped to place a serial burglar behind bars - after raising the alarm with its noisy squawks.
Jake Fletcher, 24, raided three houses on the same street in Monmouth, south Wales, in the middle of the night on 20 June last year.
But Cardiff Crown Court heard he was caught in the final house when Charlie, the family's pet parrot, started squawking.
Fletcher, from Newport, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years prison.
Charlie's owner Emma Dazeley, 41, was given a 拢500 reward for bravery - as her actions led to Fletcher's arrest.
'Want him back'
Prosecutor Matthew Roberts said: "During the last burglary, one of the victims was asleep in bed when she heard the family parrot squawking in the front room and she went to investigate.
"She saw the defendant hiding behind the door and confronted him. He pushed past her and ran out of the back door.
"The complainant grabbed hold of a rucksack the defendant had and told him he was not taking her daughter's bag with him. This caused the bag to rip.
"He fled and she pursued him. He tried to scale a fence but she tried to pull him down."
The court heard Fletcher dropped the rucksack along with video games, a bottle of prosecco and a bottle of gin before he ran off.
Ms Dazeley said she was heartbroken after her "hero" Charlie flew off into the wild six weeks ago.
She said: "I was just trying to protect my home - and Charlie did his bit too.
"He didn't say any words but he squawked which is what alerted me to the burglary. He's my hero and I want him back."