AN OXFORD councillor who chased down two thieves on her pedal bike has welcomed one man’s conviction for burglary.

Nathan Bourton, of no fixed abode, was unanimously convicted by a jury of seven women and five men at Oxford Crown Court yesterday.

The 35-year old had denied the break-in at an address at Cranham Street, Jericho, Oxford, on April 23 this year.

During the trial the court heard how Oxford city and Oxfordshire county councillor for the area Susanna Pressel had chanced upon the scene while riding her bike at about 7pm.

Immediately suspicious and seeing a large group of neighbours gathered outside the burgled house she screamed ‘stop thief’ at the two men before chasing after them on her bicycle.

One of the men, Luke Newell, was arrested that day and after admitting the burglary was jailed on May 26 for 876 days.

Bourton, meanwhile, fled the scene and was identified through a neighbour’s CCTV camera and arrested the following day. He was jailed for three and a half years at his sentencing yesterday.

Speaking later, councillor Pressel said: “I am pleased that the jury decided unanimously, so we can assume that justice was done.

“I am glad that I was able to help in a small way.”

Ms Pressel gave a witness statement to police the day after the incident and described how she had no hesitation running after them.

She said: “I remember shouting at them ‘stop thief, put that stuff down, it doesn’t belong to you’.

“I shouted at the top of my voice ‘stop thief’ and they started to run.

“I heard the first man say to the second man ‘wait for me’ and his friend ignored this and continued to cycle away.

“I then got on my pedal cycle and gave chase. I lost sight of them and I continued to cycle after them to Mount Place.”

It was then she saw the first man being arrested by police officers who had already been called by neighbours.

During the break-in in which a rear patio door was smashed in the men took a number of items many of which have not been recovered, including a Samsung 3D Smart TV, an unopened bottle of Jonny Walker and Sake, a DAB radio, a laptop and charger, an I-Phone charger, a rucksack, and a bike.