A panicked getaway ended abruptly and painfully for a burglar on Monday. Police said the suspect, 22, had been working on a lock of a Sen Sok district home with an iron bar and screwdriver when neighbours saw him and shouted for help.

The man scaled then leapt from a wire fence, breaking his legs in the process. Perhaps feeling a twinge of sympathy for the now immobile burglar, the assembled crowd skipped the customary beating. He’ll recover in hospital before facing a judge. KOH SANTEPHEAP