Top chef wakes to burglar in his house and detains him for 20 minutes until police arrive

Chef Lee Skeet woke to his location being burgled but followed the burglar and caught him (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)

A apical cook who has cooked privately for a apical Premier League footballer was woken to his location being burgled.

Lee Skeet said a substance of choler absorption training, arsenic good arsenic his grounding successful mixed martial arts (MMA), kept him from "laying into" the man, who had rummaged done his location and taken astir £400 successful cash.

Lee recounted the chilling infinitesimal helium woke astatine astir 6am to realise determination was a burglar successful his location successful the upmarket country of Pontcanna successful Cardiff. He said helium was startled awake by the chilling dependable of footsteps going down the stairs.

Lee, who is known for his enactment astatine the Cardiff restaurants Jackson's and Cora, knew helium was expected to beryllium unsocial successful the location arsenic neither his children nor his spouse were home. He waited until the sound stopped earlier venturing retired of his chamber to investigate.

Reaching the crushed floor, helium discovered his beforehand doorway wide unfastened and astir £400 missing from his kitchen. Recalling the unsettling event, helium said: "It was astir 6am connected Monday and I could perceive idiosyncratic extracurricular the door. You cognize erstwhile you aftermath up and it takes a 2nd to get your bearings?"

After rapidly ruling retired the anticipation of it being his children oregon spouse it dawned connected him that helium had been burgled, reports Wales Online.

The thoroughfare successful the Pontcanna country of Cardiff wherever Lee Skeet was burgled (Image: Media Wales)

"I realised it couldn't beryllium the kids due to the fact that they're distant and it couldn't beryllium my spouse due to the fact that she wasn't with maine the nighttime before. It dawned connected maine past that I'd been burgled. I went downstairs and realised a load of currency had been taken and some my beforehand doors were wide open," said Lee, whose full Cora edifice was booked retired by footballer Aaron Ramsey successful 2022 truthful helium could person a backstage Valentine's repast with his wife, Colleen.

Ramsey spent years astatine Arsenal and Juventus earlier returning to boyhood nine Cardiff City. He is the skipper of the Wales nationalist shot team.

Lee said that erstwhile helium confirmed the intruder had left, helium decided to effort and way him down.

"Once I realised determination was no-one successful the location I went extracurricular and saw the feline astir 50m distant ducking into idiosyncratic else's garden," helium said.

"It was 6am truthful determination was no-one other around. I walked up cautiously and crept up. I didn't cognize if helium had a weapon connected him truthful I was benignant of assessing the situation. I could spot him sitting connected a patio counting wealth and I was adjacent capable to announcement the wealth was from a state I'd precocious been to truthful it was a spot circumstantial."

The alleyway wherever Lee caught up with the antheral helium believed had been successful his location (Image: Media Wales)

He went on: "He had his backmost to maine and I walked up to him and asked him what helium was doing. He jumped retired of his skin. He said helium lived determination but I told him I knew he'd conscionable been successful my house. I knew helium was going obscurity helium looked terrified.

"I wanted to laic into him but I was rather restrained. I conscionable asked him wherefore helium was doing this and that he'd made a large mistake. The neighbours heard america and came retired and called the police. I told him to not determination until the constabulary arrived and helium didn't.

"I was lasting adjacent to him for astir 20 minutes until the constabulary got there. It was awkward. I felt atrocious for him a bit. He started telling maine worldly astir his beingness and wherefore helium was doing that benignant of happening and I did commencement to empathise with him a bit."

Lee stated that six constabulary officers arrived and the antheral was arrested: "It was unusual due to the fact that he'd been beauteous quiescent but arsenic soon arsenic the constabulary got determination helium became rather mouthy and the constabulary had to get involved."

Lee Skeet and a workfellow with footballer Aaron Ramsey, who booked retired his edifice (Image: Lee Skeet)

He added: "It was a unusual experience. A twelvemonth agone I'd person beaten him up but choler absorption coupled with MMA stopped me. I can't explicit capable what grooming successful MMA tin bash for your confidence."

A South Wales Police spokesperson reported: "Police were called to a study of burglary successful Cathedral Road astatine 6.55am connected Monday, August 12. Officers arrived wrong six minutes of the telephone and a antheral was arrested astatine the scene. Shaun Powell, 48, from Bristol, has been charged with burglary. He appeared astatine Cardiff Magistrates' Court connected Tuesday, August 13 and was remanded successful custody."

On Friday, September 13, Powell admitted guilt to the burglary charges. His sentencing is present penned for Friday, September 20.