A man accused of getting stuck on a roof during a housebreaking expedition is claiming police have got the wrong man.

The suspect spent two hours on the rooftops of properties on Holroyd Hill, Wibsey, Bradford, before being carried to safety on an aerial platform.

After being talked down and rescued by police and firefighters he was arrested at the scene.

Yesterday Jason Hudson, 35, of Holroyd Hill, appeared before Bradford Crown Court by video link to Leeds Prison charged with burglary and criminal damage.

His solicitor Andrew Walker told the court there was to be no indication at the hearing as to whether Hudson was pleading guilty or denying the offence.

Asked by Judge Peter Benson what the issue in any trial would be, Mr Walker said: “Identification.”

The judge then confirmed that the charges arose from an incident when a man was arrested from a roof.

Prosecutor Bashir Ahmed said the Crown had CCTV evidence and was awaiting the results of DNA and other scientific tests from the scene.

Hudson, who wore a bright green casual shirt for his court appearance, was remanded back into custody. He will next be before the court on May 2 for a case management hearing when he will say publicly whether he is guilty or not guilty.

Mr Walker said the defence team will have seen the CCTV and scientific evidence by then.

A trial of up to three days was fixed for July 10.

The rooftop burglary suspect was first spotted emerging from a property on Holroyd Hill shortly before noon on Thursday, February 13, after allegedly removing tiles to escape on to the roof of the house.

He was finally arrested at 1.48pm and taken into custody.

A resident of one of the houses on Holroyd Hill was said to have called police after hearing noises from their loft, where it is thought a man was initially hiding. Witnesses described him running on the roof tops for over an hour before sitting down and shouting abuse at police and passers-by.

Police talked to the suspect, dressed in a pink hooded-top and jeans, from an adjoining roof before an officer was hoisted up by the aerial ladder to arrest him.