Cops to criminal - stay away from all rooftops

LONDON - A petty criminal who routinely escapes the police by getting on the roof of his house in Britain has been barred from every rooftop in his area as officials fear he may sue them if he falls.

Adam Paul Corbett has forced 10-hour rooftop stand-offs when police officials came to arrest him and even the police helicopter has been called out on numerous occasions.

Police maintain they have to ensure Corbett’s safety as he could sue the force if he fell while trying to escape, The Telegraph reported Wednesday.

“He (Corbett) is a prolific offender who commits a lot of crime and has done for several years. Whenever we knock on his door, he immediately climbs out of the first-floor window and on to the roof before we are even up the stairs.

“We have to have an officer at the front and back and negotiate him down. If he falls and hurts himself, we could be liable,” Inspector Dave Mangan was quoted as saying.

Mangan said Corbett’s escape attempts to the rooftop now stood at “double figures”.

Following the order, Corbett, who stays in Rishton, Lancs, is banned from every rooftop in the borough of Hyndburn, and must also adhere to a 10 p.m.-7 a.m. curfew.