Man offers burglar coffee after botched break-in
A would-be thief got a warm surprise after attempting to break into a couple's flat in northern Sweden.
The couple were asleep in their home when they awoke with a start around 1am upon hearing a noise coming from the balcony of their apartment in Kvarnåsen.
Homeowner Tomas Holmberg rushed to the balcony, flung open the door from the inside and managed to overpower the hapless thief – who didn't resist – and promptly called the police, according to local media reports.
Holmberg then sat the 21-year-old burglar down in the kitchen and offered him some coffee.
"He looked forlorn and quite cold so I thought he could use a gulp of coffee," Holmberg told the local Västerbottens Folkblad newspaper.
The young man subsequently apologized to Holmberg for the attempted robbery and then sat quietly drinking his coffee until police arrived.
In Sweden, an individual has the right to make a citizens' arrest (envarsgripanden) when a perpetrator is caught in the act of committing a crime, provided the culprit is turned over to police as soon as possible.
Earlier this year, officers praised a man in southern Sweden who managed to lock a trio of burglars in the cellar of an apartment building after they set off the an alarm in another ill-fated robbery attempt.
Meanwhile in France, a broke retired crime reporter on a local newspaper was arrested after turning to burglary to supplement his pension.
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The couple were asleep in their home when they awoke with a start around 1am upon hearing a noise coming from the balcony of their apartment in Kvarnåsen.
Homeowner Tomas Holmberg rushed to the balcony, flung open the door from the inside and managed to overpower the hapless thief – who didn't resist – and promptly called the police, according to local media reports.
Holmberg then sat the 21-year-old burglar down in the kitchen and offered him some coffee.
"He looked forlorn and quite cold so I thought he could use a gulp of coffee," Holmberg told the local Västerbottens Folkblad newspaper.
The young man subsequently apologized to Holmberg for the attempted robbery and then sat quietly drinking his coffee until police arrived.
In Sweden, an individual has the right to make a citizens' arrest (envarsgripanden) when a perpetrator is caught in the act of committing a crime, provided the culprit is turned over to police as soon as possible.
Earlier this year, officers praised a man in southern Sweden who managed to lock a trio of burglars in the cellar of an apartment building after they set off the an alarm in another ill-fated robbery attempt.
Meanwhile in France, a broke retired crime reporter on a local newspaper was arrested after turning to burglary to supplement his pension.
DON'T MISS: Why Game of Thrones is based on Sweden
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