Here are two mobile phone thieves from Manchester who should surely have been included.

A musician, Leo, was returning at about 2am from the club where he had been playing a gig. He’d left his instruments as he was playing there again the following night, but was walking home as he had forgotten his money, and having already been mugged three times never carried plastic at night. He was however drinking a can of Lilt!

He turned a corner to be confronted by a mugger wielding a 15 inch blade, who demanded his money.He explained he didn’t have any and that was why he was walking, so the mugger demanded he turn his pockets out, which he did, and the mugger immediately pounced upon the new mobile phone. So Leo said to him, you know I’ll cancel the SIM card, so how about you let me have that back as it has all my contacts on. So the mugger tried to get it out for him, but couldn’t so passed it back and said you take it out. Well Leo had his Lilt can, so asked the mugger to hold it while he removed the SIM. Then he gave the mugger the phone and the mugger returned the can, so Leo shot off to the Police station to tell them he had been mugged, but had the muggers fingerprints. He was caught within the hour.

My daughter arrived home to find police outside the house next door and her neighbour furious as she had returned home after popping out for half an hour to find she had been broken into. Nothing much had been taken, except a play station and some CD’s etc, then she realised her mobile phone had gone too, and a moment of inspiration dawned, so with the police sergeant at her side, she called her mobile, and when it was answered asked “Hello is that Wayne” who answered Yes!” The police promptly went two streets away and arrested him.