Published: 2013 September 30 20:37:46 (5607 Views)

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

You might also want to read this

• Man Steals R16,000 Property
• Thief assaulted over $15 phone, meets mob justice
• Cheeky car thief breaks in, steals, leaves his ID behind
• Man caught stealing mealie-meal from employer
• Magistrate orders prison officers to get toy wire cars for hijackers
• Bungling taxi robber shoots himself
• 'Good Samaritans' steal from unconscious man
• Thief smashes face on pavement trying to flee crime scene
• Mum saves thieving son from angry mob
• Man beaten up for stealing from kid's party

Comment as Anonymous | Comment With Facebook Submit

There are no comments.

Big Reads

© Copyright 2025 Zim Metro is not responsible for the content of external sites | Contact Us: editor@zimmetro.net | RSS Feeds | Sitemap