Bungling thief caught after sending photo of where he was staying to police

17 November 2023 , 09:43

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Greg Crawford and wife Julie on their trip to the island of Barra (Image: Greg Crawford / SWNS)

A clumsy thief who nicked a tourist's camera was nabbed after he took a picture of his own digs.

The £2,000 device was pinched from Greg Crawford, 56, who left it on a bench on the island of Barra in Scotland. The brazen thief then sent the memory card to local police to return to Greg - with a note attached. It said he was returning the card but keeping the camera - to pay for his own holiday on the island.

But when Greg checked the card he found snaps the clueless crook had taken of where he was staying. Greg and wife Julie searched Facebook for islanders who might know which house it was - and locals helped him identify the holiday let. On Monday, two months after the theft, Barra police officers arrested and charged a 54 year old man with the theft.

Greg said: "I got the memory card back and downloaded the photographs. The last two images on the memory card weren't mine. They were very underexposed, so I increased the exposure. It was a photo of a view from a window into a garden in Barra. I didn't know where, but from the timestamps, it had to be Barra. ''I put that photograph onto the Barra Facebook pages, and asked if anybody knew where the view was.

"Eventually, somebody came back to me and said it was their garden, but they didn't take the pictures. The person explained that somebody else had been staying there at the time. They were able to identify the person, and give the information to the Barra police. They were able to identify the person, and give the information to the Barra police.

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"The Barra police then got in contact with them, got evidence, and the person was charged.

Photos from the trip to the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides (Greg Crawford / SWNS)

"I'm still laughing! It's just so unbelievable. They dropped themselves right in it. "I'm going to get a camera back it's at a police station in the Borders. Police Scotland have a very difficult job and this crime was nothing compared to what they have to deal with out there but they've been great."

A statement from Police Scotland read: "Officers on the Isle of Barra have arrested and charged a man with theft by finding in connection with a camera taken near to Barra Airport. The 54 year old man has been reported to the Procurator Fiscal."

Local officer Constable Beth Cameron said: "We would like to thank the community of Barra for their assistance in detecting this offence."

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Elizabeth Hunter