A Bristol Evening Post Gold Star Award winner is "disgusted" a burglar he chased and caught only received a conditional discharge for his crime.

Daniel Tripp showed immense bravery when, in bare feet, he chased a burglar for half a mile through Hanham to make a citizen's arrest in February.

The 21-year-old plumber from Speedwell made a similar chase in March, 2008, winning him the Evening Post's bravery award.

But he recently received a letter saying the latest criminal to be on the receiving end of his community spirit, Craig Webber, had been given a conditional discharge – which means he is effectively not punished unless he commits another offence.

Mr Tripp said: "When I read this I was disgusted with the punishment. Here was someone who has admitted breaking into another person's garage, damaging the door and lock, and taking their belongings."

Having just been made redundant, Mr Tripp was at his girlfriend's house fixing some shelves on February 16 when he noticed Webber, 39, in the lane behind the house. He was wheeling a bike and balancing two electric drill boxes on the handle bars.

Mr Tripp immediately dropped his tools, grabbed his mobile phone and ran out of the house. He wasn't wearing any shoes.

Once in the lane behind Lower Hanham Road, he noticed a garage had been broken into and he started running after Webber.

At the end of the lane he asked a passing woman if she had seen the burglar and was pointed in the direction of Tabernacle Road. He next caught sight of him in Maypole Square as he disappeared down Memorial Road, going away from Hanham High Street.

Mr Tripp continued running and saw Webber disappear into a nearby industrial estate. Once there, he lost sight of him for more than 10 minutes and almost gave up the chase, before he spotted Webber again further down the street, chatting to another man.

Mr Tripp confronted him, fearlessly told him he was making a citizen's arrest and rang the police.

On April 20 at North Avon Magistrates' Court, Webber received a conditional discharge and was ordered to pay £60 costs. Mr Tripp said: "On the day after it happened, I was being interviewed by a police officer and she told me the majority of these crimes go unsolved. Here is the message the British Justice System is sending out – when you get caught, a slap on the wrist is what you get.

"When you catch these criminals they should punish them more harshly, so they do not commit these crimes over and over."

In mitigation, magistrates heard Webber had been drunk following a family tragedy when he committed the offences.

And as it was a non-dwelling burglary, the offence carried a lesser sentencing range than a burglary of an occupied home.

A spokesman for the Judicial Communications Office said: "All sentencing decisions in particular cases reflect the full range of evidence presented to the court in that case at that time, and a variety of other relevant factors which magistrates must have regard to including the statutory framework, Court of Appeal judgements, and any mitigating or aggravating factors."

In 2008, Mr Tripp chased a burglar for a mile after he saw him struggling with a woman in Morse Street, Redfield, allowing police to arrest him.