A burglar hurled stolen mobile phones at police officers from the top of a roof during a nine-hour stand off which brought a town centre to a standstill, a court heard.

Daniel Coulson, 49, clambered onto a 60ft high rooftop of a parade of shops in a desperate bid to escape after setting off alarms when he attempted to steal watches from a jeweller's.

He was cornered on the roof of Carats Jeweller's last Thursday after police cordoned off roads and pavements around the scene in Ipswich, Suffolk.

Coulson also admitted to taking an iPhone 14 pro max, four Blackberrys, three tablets, a Chromebook and £110 in cash from a nearby job centre. The total value of the  thefts, disputed by Coulson in court, was estimated at £85,000.

Police negotiators in a cherry picker on a fire service turntable ladder were brought in to bring him down.

Suffolk Magistrates' Court heard how Coulson who was dressed in shorts and a hoodie top threw mobile phones at the negotiators and officers below.

Daniel Coulson threw stolen mobile phones at police officers from a 60ft high roof in Ipswich

The burglar, who had set off alarms at a nearby jeweller's, was cornered by officers who negotiated with him on a cherry picker

The incident brought the whole town centre to a standstill, with several streets cordoned off

He eventually relented and came down shortly before 1.40pm after he was given food and blankets by police to keep him warm in the driving rain.

The nine hour stand-off led to dozens of shops being closed as police prevented people from walking through pedestrianised streets around the town centre.

Coulson who was earlier seen with cuts and bruises on his legs as he stood on the rooftop puffing nervously on a vape, was taken to Ipswich Hospital for a check-up.

He admitted three counts of burglary and a charge of causing a public nuisance when he appeared on Saturday before magistrates in Ipswich.

The court heard how he had earlier stolen a Mercedes electric car, computer equipment and mobile phones in one burglary.

He broke into Carat's Jewellers in the Buttermarket, Ipswich, at 4.35am on May 16, but left behind a haul of watches after he set off an alarm.

In a separate burglary on the same night, he stole six mobile phones, three tablets, a laptop and cash from the neighbouring Staffright Group recruitment agency.

Magistrates agreed they did not have sufficient powers to deal with his case and remanded him in custody for sentencing at Ipswich Crown Court.

Carat's Jewellers has been open since 1985. Its website states that its makes and sells 'modern and stylish jewellery in gold, white gold, platinum and silver'.

Coulson eventually agreed to come down after a nine-hour standoff with police, when he was given food and blankets

He admitted to three counts of burglary and a charge of causing public nuisance at a Magistratex' Court in Ipswich

Dozens of shops were closed as people were prevented from walking on several pedestrianised streets in the town centre

Coulson broke into Carat's Jewellers in the Buttermarket early on Thursday morning, before stealing six mobile phones and three tablets from a nearby recruitment agency

Jamal Iqbal, from A Phone Shop on Tavern Street, said he was able to open once the cordon was lifted but said that he expects businesses to have lost a lot of money.

He said: 'It is weird because, on one hand, you want everyone to be safe and sound, and I commend the police on doing that well today, but the cordon just meant that many businesses like ours could not open.

'We could only open after lunch, so for the better part of the day no one bought anything from us.'

A spokesperson from Buttermarket Centre said the cordon has blocked their main entrances and prevented Jacey's Cafe and Twist and Shout from opening.

They added: 'It is certainly causing some disruption to all and will cost our business thousands in lost sales.'