A resident was so fed up with burglars trying to get into his home that he decided to set up a Home Alone style trap – and it worked.
Every Christmas many of us sit down to watch Kevin McAllister save his family home as he sets up some smart booby traps to stop thugs breaking in and stealing their precious belongings. While it makes audiences laugh, it’s actually something that happens in real life.
One man, who lives in Blyth, Northumberland, was sick of his detached home being targeted by burglars – and decided to set up a makeshift trap. He put attached a piece of string to a bucket in the garden, leading to his front door. If anyone walked through the piece of string towards his property, the bucket of water would tip and spill.
Paul Howell, 56, attempted to break into the home on Bondicar Terrace around 3am on November 9 last year. Home CCTV footage shows the moment that the serial thief was caught off guard by the trap.
Dressed in all black, with his face covered, the thief walked up to the front door of the property, and a bucket of water fell on his feet. Startled, he fled the scene.
Howell has been jailed for over three years after being thwarted by the Home Alone-style trap. Chronicle Live reports that Saba Shan, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court: “He tried to open the windows but they were locked. He walked to the patio where he knocked over the bucket, leading to him fleeing.”
The victim, who had also installed CCTV after the earlier offences, checked footage and saw a man with his face covered trying to break into his home before urinating at the side of it. Howell was later identified from the footage by a police officer. The 56-year-old, who has 108 previous convictions, went on to break into another house in Blyth on November 15.
The resident told the court: “Burglars seem to be queuing up to burgle my home and help themselves to my things. Two people have been in prison sentenced for recent attacks on my property. I feel nothing but contempt for them.”
People rushed to comment on the video clip after it was posted onto TikTok. In response, one individual joked: “Couldn’t bear the feeling of wet socks so had to hand himself in.”
Another laughed: “Oh no his shoes got a bit wet.” And a third suggested: “They should have gone with the swinging paint can traps. One of the best Home Alone scenes.”
Then quoting Home Alone’s burglars, a final commenter joked: “He would’ve got away with it if it weren’t for them pesky kids.”