OTTAWA – A clumsy crook ended up capturing himself after drilling a hole into a porn store as he tried to steal its phone service.

Justin Lewtry, 23, pleaded guilty last week to attempted theft of communications services and mischief.

Court heard Lewtry had run out of cellphone minutes and decided to steal a phone line from the porn shop under his apartment by drilling through his floor. After Blue Moon Video had closed for the night last June 20, Lewtry began drilling a series of holes to find the phone wiring, Crown prosecutor Riad Tallim told the court.

“He reaches into the floor and pulls out some wires,” Tallim said. “In the process of doing that, he pulls what he takes to be the phone wire.”

Lewtry cut the wire to connect to his phone.

“Unfortunately for him, the line he cut is the alarm wire,” Tallim said.

The alarm scared Lewtry’s cat, and the fearful feline ended up jumping into the hole he cut in the floor.

“I suppose the cat came back on this one,” Tallim said as those in the court stifled laughter.

Lewtry reached into the hole and retrieved the cat, but “he lost his balance and fell into the hole and into the store,” Tallim said.

“Now he’s in the store and the problem is he can’t get out.”

Justice Lise Maisonneuve, who called Lewtry’s actions “stupid” and “selfish,” gave Lewtry 12 months probation and ordered him to make a $300 charitable donation.