Thief arrested thanks to Facebook CCTV picture

After a CCTV picture of a thief was posted on Facebook, Edward Goble, 28, who broke into a garage stealing a box of records and a scooter worth £400, was arrested within hours, after a picture of him in the act, was uploaded to Basildon Memories group, a community page on Facebook.

In just minutes, the police were contacted with the identity of the photo, after a member from the 4,000+ members from the group recognised Edward Goble. He was arrested that night, and appeared before Basildon magistrates 48 hours later, after admitting burglarly.

The admin of the group, Ian Clarke, 44, thanked all the members for helping the thief get justice. Edward Goble has been released on bail, and will return to Magistrates’ Court, Basildon in December for sentencing.

Basildon Memories is an open group for the public to have a trip down memory lane, adding things they used to do in Basildon, also the old shops and buildings that they had around them, which can be found by visiting www.facebook.com/groups/basildonmemories.