Leominster man pleads guilty to theft of women's underwear

A man from Leominster has pleaded guilty to the theft of women's underwear.

John Alexander Wall, aged 38, of Etnam Street, Leominster, was arrested following a police sting operation.

A proactive police operation was put in place after a woman from Leominster raised concerns that underwear was being stolen from her washing line.

Officers from the We Don't Buy Crime team set a trap for the offender by planting underwear marked with SmartWater* on the washing line.

On 15 July 2017, Wall was caught on camera stealing the underwear from the washing line and following a positive identification his property was searched by officers. They uncovered the underwear marked with SmartWater and Wall was placed under arrest.

Appearing at Hereford Magistrates Court on 22 July, Wall pleaded guilty to theft and was given a 12 month conditional discharge.

The police operation was part of the We Don't Buy Crime initiative, a proactive campaign to protect people from theft and burglary and identify those responsible for these crimes.

Sergeant Ben Pearson said: "The identification and prosecution of Wall is great example of proactive policing helping to protect our communities and identify offenders and bring them to justice. It sends out a warning to other would be criminals that we are on the lookout for them and we may catch them when they least expect it."

Superintendent Tom Harding said: "This case demonstrates West Mercia Police's commitment, with funding and support from John Campion the Police and Crime Commissioner, to utilise the latest technology in the fight against crime. The versatility of products such as SmartWater are enabling us to have a significant impact on crime across the West Mercia policing area."

*The SmartWater product is a forensic traceable liquid that carries a unique forensic code that is registered to a specific address. Once applied, it is almost impossible to remove and can only be seen under ultraviolet (UV) light.

This means that any items recovered after they have been stolen can be returned to their owner and if a suspected thief is caught with the liquid on their body or clothes they can be linked back to the scene of the crime. It also acts a deterrent to would be criminals who know the risk they face if they take products marked with SmartWater.