A town clerk obtained swift justice when he used Facebook to catch a burglar.
Within nine hours of a man stealing from his garden shed, the culprit was arrested and charged.
John Germon, 59, said: It just goes to show that, with advanced technology, in a close-knit community you can track someone down and solve a crime very quickly.
Mr Germon, town clerk in Ashburton, Devon, noticed a strimmer and chainsaw worth more than ã300 were missing when he went to his shed at 9am on August 19.
His 30-year-old son John put details of the break-in on Facebook and appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
Within hours, two people phoned with the name of a man who had suddenly acquired a strimmer and chainsaw.
Mr Germon phoned the man, pretending he was interested in buying the cutting equipment and they arranged to meet in a car park.
He then immediately alerted the police. The man arrived with the stolen items to meet Mr Germon and was arrested minutes later by an officer from Totnes Police Station. The strimmer and chainsaw were handed back to Mr Germon.
Wajeeh Izharuddin, 19, from Ashburton, later appeared before Newton Abbot magistrates.
He was convicted of burglary and placed on probation for six months.
Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technolo...er-friends-identify-culprit-within-hours.html
Within nine hours of a man stealing from his garden shed, the culprit was arrested and charged.
John Germon, 59, said: It just goes to show that, with advanced technology, in a close-knit community you can track someone down and solve a crime very quickly.
Mr Germon, town clerk in Ashburton, Devon, noticed a strimmer and chainsaw worth more than ã300 were missing when he went to his shed at 9am on August 19.
His 30-year-old son John put details of the break-in on Facebook and appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
Within hours, two people phoned with the name of a man who had suddenly acquired a strimmer and chainsaw.
Mr Germon phoned the man, pretending he was interested in buying the cutting equipment and they arranged to meet in a car park.
He then immediately alerted the police. The man arrived with the stolen items to meet Mr Germon and was arrested minutes later by an officer from Totnes Police Station. The strimmer and chainsaw were handed back to Mr Germon.
Wajeeh Izharuddin, 19, from Ashburton, later appeared before Newton Abbot magistrates.
He was convicted of burglary and placed on probation for six months.
Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technolo...er-friends-identify-culprit-within-hours.html