Bungling burglar Ben Anthony Dalton falls asleep after breaking into a Geraldton granny flat

A burglar who broke in to a granny flat then fell asleep has avoided jail. Ben Anthony Dalton broke into the Geraldton flat before spending the night after falling asleep — but was not discovered by the homeowners. However, the 39-year-old came undone when he made another dozy mistake — leaving behind a bottle of prescription medication with his name on it in the homeowners car after rummaging through the vehicle in the driveway. The clueless thief then made his escape on a stolen scooter. Dalton pleaded guilty in the District Court this week to stealing and burglary. The court was told that the Geraldton local — who had taken amphetamine at the time of the crimes — gained access to the locked granny flat about 10pm on November 1, 2019. He then slept through the night before waking in the morning, rummaging through the car and leaving on the stolen scooter. Dalton was arrested on November 26 of the same year, spending two weeks in custody in Greenough Prison, which had riots at the time. His lawyer George Giudice said this experience “shocked” Dalton, who said he never again wanted to spend time in prison. Judge David MacLean described the offending as “bizarre” and “amateurish”, saying it appeared the stealing was opportunistic rather than premeditated. He sentenced Dalton to 14 months in prison, suspending the term for 12 months.