Sunderland bar burglar found asleep beside cheesecake

Mark Cooper was jailed for 26 weeks after admitting burglary

A burglar who fell asleep beside a half-eaten cheesecake in a bar he was raiding has been jailed.

Police found Mark Cooper inside the 808 Bar & Kitchen on St Thomas Street, Sunderland, on Saturday.

Cooper, 41, of Victoria Place in Sunderland, was jailed at South Tyneside Magistrates' Court for 26 weeks after admitting burglary.

He was also ordered to pay £30 compensation to the bar.

Northumbria Police were alerted that someone had forced entry into the bar and broken into the till, which was empty, and was stealing food and alcohol.

Cooper was found asleep on the bar floor next to the half-eaten dessert.

Det Con Catherine Gibson said: "This burglary clearly proved to be tiring work for Cooper, and it's safe to say he was brought back to the real world with a bump when awoken by our officers.

"We will not tolerate this kind of criminality and we understand that burglary is a crime that has a corrosive impact on society."

The force said it is still investigating whether other people were involved in the burglary.