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Britain’s most dim-witted criminals have been tracked down by police after leaving simple clues or committing silly blunders that landed them in jail.
Among those who made life easy for cops were a woman who googled “can you get away with a hit and run”, a sex offender who put his cell number on creepy letters he sent to victims, and a burglar who forgot he was wearing a electronic tag when he was summoned by a gang of thieves to assist in a burglary.
David Wilson, a criminology professor who has investigated dozens of high-profile crimes and advised police, said the dumbest six were just “exaggerated” examples of how even the most sophisticated criminals made mistakes and left clues that helped detectives lock them up .
“It does show that people who commit crime are not necessarily masterminds. They may think they are criminal masterminds, but all too often they are all too human and leave clues behind. We should be thankful that they are human beings and that they make mistakes,” Professor Wilson said.
Danny Patrick, a pedophile and sex offender, wrote to “sexy” women claiming to be their secret admirer. He watched and tracked his four unsuspecting victims to find out where they lived before delivering the “creepy” handwritten letters to their homes.
He gave the women his cell number and urged them to text him with their name and age to find out who he was and what he wanted. But his clumsy mistake allowed the police to track him down and pin him to the crime.
The 36-year-old from Wolverhampton admitted to texting indecent or abusive messages four times and was sentenced to 20 months in prison and a 10-year restraining order.
Nishaben Mistry, 37, googled “can you get away with a hit and run” after she beat and killed a 69-year-old pensioner while driving her BMW.
Her phone was later examined, uncovering internet searches including: “How long does an arrest take in a hit-and-run”, “Do most hit-and-run drivers get caught?”, and “Do the police find usually the people behind hit-and-run accidents?”
Police revealed they only had one second to respond to the pedestrian, as he was hidden from view and there was no evidence of careless or dangerous driving, speeding or distraction. She pleaded guilty to a charge of failure to quit and was jailed for 17 weeks, with two years suspended.
Electronic tag
Lewis Tracey, 29, was called in at the last minute to take part in a five-man armed attack on a house in Birmingham, where he had to “cut” the lock while the others went in wearing balaclavas and carrying knives and swords.
Surprised to find the residents at home, they fled. Four of the five remained unidentified, but Tracey was caught for forgetting one crucial clue: he was on an electronic tag at the time. He was sentenced to six years and 11 months in prison.
The downfall of Brandon Hayden, 24, was his signature wool hat he wore when he committed a violent robbery of a woman in her 60s at her home after she climbed through the front window.
He ran when he saw the victim’s daughter on the phone with the police, but left his hat with his DNA that, along with his cell phone, linked him to the crime scene. He received nine years in prison.
Halfords employee Scott Anderson, 40, had signed dozens of vehicle MOTs that never showed up at the garage. He was caught after logging into the company’s computer system to “run an MOT” while home sick. He was spotted by a manager, which led to a suspended prison sentence of 10 months.
Professor Wilson said he was “satisfied” that during his career with criminals he had made mistakes, rather than go on to commit a number of “horrible” offences.
“One of the first young offenders I remember working with was released, but was back inside after only a few months. He said he stole a car. But what was even more stupid was that it turned out to be an unmarked police car,” he said.
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