The strangest burglary ever? Students’ house ransacked then guilt-ridden robber returns goods

Careless party-goers couldn’t believe their luck when a burglar who robbed their house returned their goods the next day.

The house, on Rutland Avenue, was raided just hours after the boys invited the man to join them for a beer, giving him the perfect opportunity to scout out the house.

The robber, who the students have dubbed “Smack’ed Steve”, then gave everything he stole back, telling the boys he was teaching them a lesson in security.

The bizarre burglary happened in Freshers’ Week after the house of boys had gone out to the Brookhouse without closing their back window.

When they got home, laptops, iPods and speakers had all been taken.

“Smack’ed Steve” in his element joining in predrinks with the boys

Their humble abode

The following morning there was a knock on the door and all their belongings were on the doorstep.

Benjy, who lives at the house, chased the thief down the road only to see a familiar face – “Smack’ed Steve”, who’d joined the boys’ predrinks the previous day in their garden.

He told The Tab: “I saw him walking down to the end of our road, so I grabbed this metal pole and ran after him.”

Housemate Scott watched Benjy go after him and said: “I’ve never seen him move so fast in his life.”

When Steve returned the stolen goods, he told Benjy he was teaching them a lesson in security and they should be more careful in future.

He said: “You should be buying me a bottle of champagne for giving your stuff back.

“I was teaching you a lesson in security.”

Point of entry – the back window

The boys had invited Steve to join them for a few drinks the day before after he’d popped his head over their fence.

Thinking he was lonely and just wanted some company, they told him to join them, but soon regretted their decision.

Scott, a second year Law student who had most of his stuff nicked, said: “At first the boys thought he was lonely and just wanted some company, but once he had begun washing his hair in the sink and helping himself to beers from the fridge we knew he had to go.”

Seemingly plagued by their new found friend Steve, he turned up at their house a further three times and even had a household tour from a visiting friend of the students.

Housemate Gaz, who studies Economics, said: “I stepped out the shower to see a random Scouse bloke roaming the top floor of our house.

“As long as he doesn’t return we don’t really care, we got our stuff back and that’s all that really matters.”

There have been a string of burglaries in recent weeks on Smithdown

Alex, who also lives there, said he believed their next door neighbour was head of the Neighbourhood Watch.

Naturally the boys were then disappointed that a random “crack head intruder” was able to climb through an open window and clearly walk out the front door unnoticed.

Unshaken by the whole affair, the lads have not seen or heard from their good friend Steve in over a fortnight.

He also promised the boys was going to clean his life up because he had landed a job at Jaguar as an engineer.

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