Thief who left name and address at crime scene sent to jail

INQUIRER.net stock photo

A burglar in the United Kingdom will be jailed for four years after accidentally leaving his own name and address at a crime scene.

Malcolm Pyke, 43, described by Detective Sergeant Chris Raper-Smith as a “prolific thief,” left behind his personal belongings after breaking into a garage in Sunderland in March 6, BBC reported on Wednesday, Oct. 14.

Pyke stole cleaning equipment worth £150 (around $194 or P9,400) — and forgot his bag that contained letters with his name and address.

After police recovered the bag, they went to his residence and saw the stolen equipment outside his home. The items were returned to the victim.

Pyke pleaded guilty to burglary and confessed to yet another burglary charge and two thefts, one of which involved him stealing clothes from a washing line. He was arrested last June, just 9 minutes after breaking into a car, as per The Chronicle. At the time, Pyke claimed he was “homeless” and trying to keep warm in the car.

“Malcolm Pyke is a prolific thief who has consistently proven a disregard for the law and the welfare of others,” Raper-Smith was quoted as saying in the BBC report. “Unfortunately for him, his latest offence which was fairly unsophisticated saw him leave behind a number of personal items which directed officers straight to his front door.” Niña V. Guno/JB

RELATED STORIES:

Two purebred cats stolen from PAWS a day after being rescued

Robber shoots victim because his cellphone was an old model with no camera