Thieves are often caught 'red-handed' but a hapless crook was nabbed GREEN-FACED thanks to a new anti-crime device.
Bungling car thief Yafet Askale was coated by an invisible spray that glow luminous green in ultraviolet light.
Askale, 28, broke into a car and stole items including a laptop. But as he did so he was squirted with SmartWater which alerted the police to his antics.
Askale, from Harlesden, northwest London, was arrested and sentenced to 49 hours of community service and ordered to pay £400 costs.
Police are now offering SmartWater kits to people in the local area who want to protect their property against thieves.
Met police detective inspector Madeline Ryder said: "This is another excellent example of the thorough work completed by Brent Officers.
"Using the trap car technology, we were able to charge Askale and put him before the courts.
"The trap car forms part of an overall crime reduction strategy designed by SmartWater, which is an effective weapon in the armoury of tools that we routinely use in Brent.
"We will continue to target those who are insistent on committing these types of offence."
- Mirror
0