A burglar sparked a rooftop drama when he was trapped inside a Huddersfield house.

Stuart Hamilton climbed up on to the roof when neighbours responded to a burglar alarm at the house and it was surrounded by police officers.

But now Hamilton has been jailed for six years for his crimes.

Judge James Spencer QC told him: “There seems only one way to stop you burgling and that is to lock you up for a long time.”

Leeds Crown Court heard the occupier of the property in Grasmere Road, Gledholt was away on holiday on November 5 when the offence happened but had asked someone to keep an eye on his home.

Scene of rooftop drama involving burglar Stuart Hamilton

When the alarm went off at 9.10pm they went to check the property and at first thought it had gone off in error but then saw a light in the bathroom on the landing which should not have been on.

Drawers were discovered open in the hall and a lounge window had been damaged to gain entry.

“At that stage hearing a noise upstairs they realised the burglar was still there and went to a neighbour’s home to contact the police,” David Wain prosecuting told the court.

Within minutes officers arrived and surrounded the property and began to make a search and it was then that Hamilton decided to get out of an upper floor window on to the roof.

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He was seen up there making calls on his mobile phone having put his gloves down on the roof. He only came down after the fire brigade had been called in.

The court heard he had previous convictions for burglary and was only released on licence from his most recent sentence in July this year.

Adam Birkby representing him told the court he was on stringent conditions including a curfew following his release and appeared to be doing well but had got drunk, taken heroin “and fell into his old habits.”

“When he was seen making calls on the roof he was ringing his mother to apologise that he had let her down again.” He had not had the opportunity to steal anything from the property.

Hamilton, 39, of Fieldhouse, Holmfirth, admitted the burglary and was jailed for six years.