A ‘Guide Dog’ took from a West Midlands station has actually assisted cause the arrest and conviction of a callous intruder who robbed the website at Christmas. Christopher Mann smashed his method into Solihull Station early in the early morning on Christmas Day (Sunday, December 25) in 2015 burglarizing the waiting room at around 3am.
He then required open a Guide Dogs for the Blind charity collection box and took its contents. The ruthless 42-year-old then got into the station’s café, once again smashing a window to get in.
He took food from the café and left the scene. The theft and damage he triggered concerned £1,018.04. But the joyful burglar was negligent and left a blood sample on the ‘Guide Dog’.
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The British Transport Police Birmingham group Tweeted days after the offense and quipped: “The terrific lengths we go too, to secure proof & COLLAR bad guys running on the train network
“You must think we are BARKING mad but have seized this dog (it’s not real don’t worry) for forensics following a LEAD after a burglary reported.”
The blood sample was sent away for analysis and returned as a ‘forensic hit’ with a match. That blood match and CCTV video footage resulted in Mann, of Warwick Road in Acocks Green, Birmingham, being detained on Saturday, April 22.
He was then charged with theft and condemned at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on April 24. He has actually now been imprisoned for 24 weeks, 16 weeks for the Solihull Station burglary and a more 8 weeks for offenses brought by West Midlands Police.
A British Transport Police representative said: “It is especially callous that on Christmas Day of all the times, Mann might be self-centered sufficient to take money from a charity collection box. Whatever the day of year, we treat culprits like him with the utmost severity and will constantly act.
“Mann showed total neglect for the property harmed which is totally undesirable. Thankfully he’ll now have a lot of time to consider his actions in jail.
“Anyone with information about crime on the rail network is asked to text British Transport police on 61016 or telephone 0800 40 50 40. Our Railway Guardian app is also free to download. Always call 999 in an emergency.”
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