A housebreaker voluntarily returned precious heirlooms and silverware burgled from an elderly couple after shouting out in court: “I’ve got the stuff in an outhouse.”

Michael Dubej reunited four carrier bags of stolen property with the Saltaire couple he had raided it from, including silverware, fireplace brasses, old model trains and a Japanese screen they had bought together in that country 40 years ago.

Dubej, 59, of Glenwood Avenue, Baildon, was being sentenced for the burglary at Bradford Crown Court when he called from the dock to say he still had much of the loot stashed away.

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Judge Jonathan Rose gave him overnight to bring the items to court and the following day Dubej turned up with the four bags containing items he had stolen.

The police officer in the case brought the householder to court to identity his plundered possessions. He was then driven home with them.

Unfortunately, the court heard, the haul did not include a stolen silver serviette ring that was a Christening present to the householder. All his siblings were given one, each with their initials on it.

But prosecutor Alisha Kaye said that Dubej had returned some property that the couple did not realise had been stolen from them.

She said they were “completely overwhelmed” to get their treasured possessions back.

Dubej pleaded guilty to burgling their home on the weekend of January 11 to 14.

The house was unoccupied at the time while building working was being carried out.

Dubej broke in and escaped with £1,465 of property, including kitchen equipment as well as the items of sentimental value.

He trundled his haul away in two large wheeled suitcases.

Judge Rose sentenced Dubej to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years, with a six month electronically monitored overnight curfew and a rehabilitation activity requirement with the probation service.

The judge said that Dubej had committed offences between 1974 and 2010 but then turned his life around and kept out of trouble.

But he suffered a mental breakdown when his relationship broke down. He was devastated and acted in a way that was completely out of character.

Judge Rose said that Dubej now understood the terrible effect of house burglary on its victims.

The fact that he had brought back much of the stolen property was “a mark of the real man behind the offending.”