A burglar tried to sell hundreds of dollars worth of stolen goods to two men he met late at night — but his luck was out as the potential buyers were off-duty Police officers.

Patrick Gibbons made off with two DVD players, a Dell monitor, electric generator and huge collection of groceries including pork chops and sausages in a raid at a home in Store Lane, Devonshire, on Saturday night.

During the incident, the owner’s dog was injured in the face after apparently being attacked with a builder’s level, Magistrates’ Court was told yesterday.

Later that night Gibbons, 50, stumbled across two officers who were offering food to a homeless man after stopping their car in The Glebe Road, Devonshire.

Unaware they were Policemen, Gibbons chased the homeless man away and then attempted to sell the officers the goods he had stolen.

The father-of-three, a painter, was later arrested and handcuffed, but he then attacked one of the officers on the way to the Police station and ran away.

He was later recaptured and appeared in court yesterday, where he admitted breaking into the property, stealing the goods and further charges relating to his assault on the officer and subsequent escape. He will be sentenced next month following a social inquiry report.

Crown counsel Robert Welling told the court that after cursing the homeless man and chasing him away, Gibbons leaned on the officers’ vehicle and said: “Do you want a DVD player? I have two DVD players to sell you.”

The defendant then opened the passenger’s door and showed the officers two DVD players and a flat screen computer monitor, said Mr. Welling.

He also told them he had got: “All kinds of frozen meat — you just name it.”

He then walked with them to his home, in nearby Roberts Avenue, so he could show them a brand new generator he wanted to sell for $200.

Asked if the generator was his own, he replied: “No, brethren, you got to take it fast.”

Mr. Welling said a Police car then arrived at the scene and Gibbons was arrested and put into the vehicle. However, he gripped officer Oswin Pereira around the neck and started to choke him, shouting: “Stop the f*****g car or I will kill you.”

The officer then rolled out of the vehicle and called for assistance, and Gibbons fled while still wearing handcuffs.

After he was recaptured, Gibbons was asked about the dog, which the owner said had suffered a cut when it was struck in the muzzle. Gibbons replied that he had been drunk and could not remember attacking a dog.

During yesterday’s hearing, Gibbons admitted breaking into the home — between 9.45 p.m. on Saturday and 3.10 a.m. on Sunday — and stealing a Dell monitor worth $700, Sony DVD player worth $150 and Toshiba DVD player worth $120.

He also took groceries worth more than $100, including two bottles of rum, grape juice, pork chops, three packs of sausages, two packs of sliced bacon, frozen orange juice, cheese pizza, three packs of butter and a silver box cutter.

In a raid on a storage shed at the same address, he admitted stealing a portable electric generator worth $900.

He admitted a further charge of assaulting Mr. Pereira with intent to do bodily harm and escaping custody.

Acting Magistrate Justin Williams granted Gibbons bail and adjourned the case to July 10 for sentencing.