Homeless Man Who Dangled Upside Down From A Window For Five Hours Cleared Of Burglary Charges

A homeless man from Nottingham, UK, who was found dangling upside down from a window, has been cleared of burglary charges after a court heard he had, “just been trying to find somewhere to sleep.”

The 27-year-old vagrant, Carl Attar, climbed two fences and shimmied down a drainpipe in order to reach an open window at a university building in Nottingham City Center.

Attar was found hanging, upside down, with his legs caught in the window in freezing conditions which could have posed a threat to his life; he had been dangling there for five hours.

The two local students who found him thought he was playing a prank, but dialled 911 in any event, when they understood that the man was stuck and in some form of distress.

Initially, Attar was found guilty of burglary, but later, as chair of the bench, Keith Taylor said to the court, “We are not satisfied that you entered the building with intent to steal.”

Attar was freed by firefighters and spent two days at the Queen’s Medical Centre before being charged with burglary with intent to steal.

Attar explained his the cause of his actions.

“Something trapped me in there. I don’t know what it was. My legs just got caught and after a while I lost the circulation in my legs. I thought I was going to die. I had been there so long, my legs had pins and needles and my shins felt like they had been cut badly. Then I saw this guy and he asked me what I was doing up there. I said ‘It doesn’t matter what I’m doing, please help me. I wasn’t bothered about the students laughing, I just wanted to get down. Doctors told me another half an hour and I would have to have my legs amputated. I’m not a burglar. I was just trapped. It’s like a lesson being taught. I’m changing my ways.”

Nevertheless, despite saying that he wishes to change his ways, Attar has 40 convictions for 69 previous offences, mainly for shoplifting from stores and anti-social behavior notices.

Attar’s defense attorney, Ian Carter, told the court his client’s condition.

“He was a homeless drug addict loner who had nowhere else to go. The question is, did he intend to steal? No. What he intended to do was find somewhere warm to go to sleep. He had no gloves and no means of carrying any items.”

[Image via Nottingham Post]