Burglar stealing neighbor's Xbox falls 130ft to his death

Jason Heywood had broken into the flat directly below his own, and was attempting to hoist himself up to his balcony afterwards.

However, the 40-year-old slipped and plummeted to his death on a grass verge below the building.

An inquest heart how Heywood had ‘tightly wound’ a leather belt around the balcony of his flat in Rochdale, and lowered himself down.

He then stole his neighbour’s Xbox, along with a number of games and other items from the flat. But when he tried to climb back up, he ‘lost his balance or lost his footing, with tragic and catastrophic results’.

After his body was found, surrounded by Xbox games strewn about, he was pronounced dead on the scene.

Det Insp Martin Reddington, who attended the incident on August 13 last year, told the inquest at Heywood Coroners Court that the stolen Xbox was found on the deceased’s balcony.

‘We will never know the exact circumstances, but I believe he may have been disturbed and, rushing to get from one balcony to another, slipped and fell,’ he said.

In a statement, burglary victim Elizabeth Smith said she returned to her flat at around 11.30pm and noticed the kitchen light was on, her belongings had been disturbed and some of her things were missing.

When she looked out of the balcony she saw the belt dangling down from the floor above, and noticed that the netting – which protects the balconies from birds – had been ripped.

She then looked down to the ground and, to her horror, saw Heywood’s body on the grass verge.

Source: http://metro.co.uk/2017/02/24/burglar-falls-130ft-to-his-death-while-trying-to-steal-neighbours-xbox-6469520/#mv-b