A housesitter tackled and detained a burglar he found in the Hamilton Parish home he was looking after.

On the night of December 29, the housesitter gave a friend a lift home and when he returned, he found Antoine O'Brien standing in the North Shore Road home.

O'Brien, 33, of no fixed abode, fled from the house and the housesitter caught up with him in the parking lot of Brightside Guest Apartments.

He called Police and when they arrived O'Brien asked to be taken to his girlfriend's apartment, which was in the complex.

There the Police found stolen jewellery, a silver digital camera, alcohol, food and a black bag worth more than $4,000 from the North Shore house.

Carla Roberts, 24, the girlfriend of O'Brien, told Police she did not know the items were stolen.

However yesterday, in Magistrates' Court, Roberts admitted possession of stolen property and O'Brien pleaded guilty to burglary.

Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo ordered a social inquiry report for both O'Brien and Roberts and was ready to bail both when an issue of Roberts' outstanding court case arose.

Roberts had been scheduled to attend court on May 18, 2006 over allegations she had stolen an iPod media player worth $190, but she never showed.

Yesterday, she pleaded not guilty to the charge of stealing the iPod and Mr. Tokunbo released her on bail of $3,000 with one surety to appear in court at 9.30 a.m. on February 11.

Roberts was then bailed for another $3,000 with one surety for possession of the stolen goods and O'Brien was released on $3,000 with one surety for burglary. Both will appear in court on February 1 at 9.30 a.m. following the social inquiry report.