He was named "Britain’s stupidest criminal" for this stunt

Aug 10, 2012 13:13 GMT  ·  By

Steven Wardle, aged 35, has been sentenced to 24 weeks in prison (suspended for 12 months) and 12 months of community service after stealing nine security cameras from various organizations in Britain.

However, this is not why he has been awarded the title of “Britain’s stupidest criminal” by the Daily Mail. The thing that revealed his identity to authorities is worthy of a story.

He was caught after he looked into the lens of one of the CCTV cameras before stealing it. As many are probably aware, the footage recorded by the cameras is usually stored on a computer.

So, by stealing the camera, the thief didn’t steal the images that it had recorded, a clear mug shot of the suspect being provided to investigators.

The images are available at the Daily Mail.