Plumber turns detective to catch thief

Plumber turns detective to catch thief

Updated 2:16pm Saturday 26th July 2014 in News

A PLUMBER turned detective to catch the thief who stole tools from his van when he recognised the description of the burglar and identified him as a former school pal.

Wayne Richmond was caught when Amar Majids neighbour told him about a burglar he saw breaking into his van on May 26.

Just a month after the burglary, Richmond tried to sell expensive guitars which had been stolen from a Heaton home.

Steve Woodman, prosecuting, told Bolton magisttrates how Mr Majid discovered his tools, worth 1,200, as well as an ashtray and 20 had been taken from his Toyota van during the night.

When he found the ashtray in a nearby garden, the quick-thinking plumber put it in a plastic bag and called police.

After a neighbour told Mr Majid about seeing the thief, the victim tried to track him down, finding a tile cutter at an address 43-year-old Richmond had lived at.

Richmonds brother then returned the rest of the tools to him. After his arrest Richmond, who has a lengthy criminal record, claimed he had bought the tools but then admitted he had stolen them from the van after his DNA was found on the ashtray.

A month after the theft, musical instruments worth 8,000 were stolen from the home of a merchant seaman while he was working abroad.

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Plumber turns detective to catch thief