A burglar was left with a black eye, after being caught breaking into the house of a Rugby League player.
Bradford Bulls star Jon Magrin returned to his home last November to find John Calvert leaving with £500 and his PlayStation console.
But he used his Rugby League skills to tackle Calvert to the ground before he was forced to lose his grip on him after Calvert struck the 22-year-old with a screwdriver.
Judge Jonathan Rose, who sentenced Calvert to three years in prison for the crime, said it was the defendant’s misfortune that his victim was a professional Rugby League player.
The court was told by prosecutor Dave MacKay that Calvert and two accomplices broke into Magrin’s apartment in Bradford city centre, taking £500 and a PlayStation. But Magrin returned home and saw Calvert leaving his flat, which resulted in the Bradford player punching Calvert in the face, which resulted in a violent struggle.
The prosecutor said Magrin again punched him in the face, but was forced to let go of the burglar after he was struck by a screwdriver, which left Magrin with a cut ear. However, he managed to pull Calvert’s coat off him, resulting in his phone falling to the ground.
Calvert was arrested four days later and had a black eye.
The Bradford star told the Telegraph and Argus that he was happy with the outcome of the case.
“At first I was just trying to restrain him, I wasn’t trying to beat him up or anything. I was probably being too nice.
“I was waiting for the police to arrive as a few people in the street had called the police. But initially they had called the police on me, because they thought I was assaulting him for no reason.
“As I was trying to restrain him he tried to fight back and I got angry and started beating him up.
“The passers-by were having a go at me and I was explaining what I was doing, he pulled out some sort of weapon like a screwdriver and went for me.
“I let him go because my safety was more important that keeping him there but in the struggle I got his phone and jacket.”
