A suspected burglar in Belfast found himself in a peculiar predicament last night, requiring police intervention to rescue him from a towering tree.
The incident unfolded in the Andersonstown Park west area of the city,where authorities received multiple reports of attempted break-ins around 10 pm on Saturday,January 18th,2025. The 32-year-old suspect, attempting to evade arrest, climbed a 60-foot tree but quickly became stranded at the top.
Social media buzzed with the bizarre scene, capturing the attention of local residents and online audiences alike.One post highlighted the surreal nature of the event, with the suspect requesting a cigarette during negotiations with officers.
These were the scenes on Kennedy Way in west Belfast last night where a man got stuck up a 60-foot tree after trying to rob two houses.
After a two-hour operation, he was rescued and arrested.
Bizarrely, he asked for a cigarette during negotiations, the only person with one was… pic.twitter.com/myyrP7XNHv
— Kevin Scott (@Kscott_94) January 19, 2025
A spokesperson for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) provided details of the incident: “We initially received a report at approximately 9.10 pm on Saturday evening, 18th January, of an attempted burglary in the Andersonstown Park West area of the city.”
They added, “A short time later, officers received a second report of an attempted burglary at another house in the Fruithill Park area of the city at around 9.45 pm. It was reported that a suspicious man had tried to enter a house through a window. Further enquiries revealed the suspect had climbed a nearby tree.”
After a two-hour operation involving the PSNI and the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, the man was safely brought down from the tree. He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of two counts of attempted burglary and disorderly behavior.
The PSNI has urged anyone with facts, including CCTV footage or eyewitness accounts, to come forward. They can be reached at 101, quoting reference number 1502 of 18/01/25.
What are some use cases for utilizing `$null` in PowerShell scripting?
Table of Contents
In PowerShell, $null represents an unknown or empty value.It is a special placeholder that indicates the absence of a value or object.Here’s a complete description based on the data provided:
What is $null?
$null is used to signify that a variable has no assigned value or object. It is not the same as an empty string,zero,or a default value. Instead,it explicitly represents “nothing.” Such as:
powershell
$variable = $null
Here,$variable is explicitly set to $null,meaning it holds no value.
Behavior of $null
- Comparison: When you compare
$null to other values, it behaves differently. As a notable example:
powershell
$null -eq $true # Returns False
$null -eq "" # Returns False
This is as $null is not equivalent to any specific value, including empty strings or booleans.
- Command Handling: Some PowerShell commands require a value and will throw errors if thay encounter
$null. For example:
powershell
$result = $null
Write-Output $result.Length # Throws an error as $null has no properties
- Default State: Variables in PowerShell are
$nullby default until they are assigned a value. For example:
powershell
$newVariable
if ($newVariable -eq $null) {
Write-Output "The variable is null."
}
Working with $null
To avoid errors or issues,you can explicitly check for $null before performing operations:
powershell
if ($variable -eq $null) {
Write-Output "The variable is null."
} else {
Write-Output "The variable has a value: $variable"
}
use Cases
- Error Handling: Check for
$nullbefore calling methods or properties to prevent runtime errors. - Default Values: Use
$nullas a placeholder until a value is assigned or determined. - Conditional Logic: Test for
$nullto handle cases were data might be missing or unavailable.
Conclusion
Understanding $null is crucial in PowerShell scripting to manage variables effectively and avoid unexpected errors. By treating it as a distinct concept representing “no value,” you can write more robust and reliable scripts.For more details, refer to the Microsoft documentation on $null.
