LIAM TOMLINSON

A serial thief dialled 999 and begged police to arrest him after he broke into a football club - only to be told officers were too busy to attend.

Instead Liam Tomlinson, 21, a heroin addict who had eight previous convictions for burglary, was allowed free to continue his crime spree.

He robbed two other premises before finally being hauled before the courts last week.

Magistrates in Burnley, Lancashire, were told that Tomlinson, a former soldier, broke into the clubhouse of amateur team Rossendale United FC, in Newham, Lancashire, in the early hours of December 8 last year.

He stole three bottles of spirits - worth £45 - before ringing police and asking them to come and arrest him. But officers told Tomlinson there was no patrol car available and he went free.

Two hours later he raided an auction room at Waterfoot Conservative Club, Lancashire. Windows and a toilet were smashed during the burglary, causing £2,500 damage.

Although he was arrested and later appeared in court Tomlinson was given bail and went on to rob a primary school 12 days later, on December 20.

The court heard that Tomlinson, who was thrown out of the Army for drug abuse, stole food and £350 worth of goods from the staff room of the school in Northallerton, North Yorkshire.

David Leach, defending, said Tomlinson's drug habit had been "out of control" when he committed the robberies, but claimed his client had since been into rehab and was now off the heroin.

In a cry for help, Mr Leach said Tomlinson rang police after breaking into the football club and told them he wanted to be arrested.

He was informed that there was no patrol cars available to attend and started using offensive language and being abusive to the operator, his solicitor added.

Tomlinson, of Padiham, Lancs, pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary, one count of burglary with intent to cause damage and failing to surrender.

But magistrates refused to send him to prison and instead gave him an eight-month jail sentence, suspended for two years.

They also made him the subject of a two year supervision order, with a 12-month drug rehabilitation requirement, and told him he must observe a curfew, between 7pm and 6am, for three months.

Speaking after the court case, last week, Inspector Dave Hodson, of Lancashire police, defended his officers actions.

He claimed police, alerted by the football club's alarm system, attended the scene almost immediately, but Tomlinson had fled before they arrived.

He said that it wasn't until almost two hours later that a call was received from another man - believed to be Tomlinson's accomplice - in an "extremely drunken state", telling officers that he and Tomlinson would be at the Conservative club in five minutes, waiting to be arrested.

By this time, police were dealing with a violent incident in which the victim had suffered serious injuries, and could not attend. Instead the pair were arrested half an hour later after neighbours reported the break-in at the auction room.

Insp Hodson pledged to investigate and learn from the case.

"We will be looking further into this incident to see if there is anything we can learn from it," he added.

(Liam Tomlinson)

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