A DOPEY thief has been the butt of countless jokes after officers nabbed him for swiping an impressive 19 cuts of meat from an Iceland store in a “high steaks chase”.
Traffic officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) told yesterday of how they apprehended a man – who was wanted for six months on a prison recall – in Salford, Greater Manchester.
Following a brief chase, officers apprehended the criminal and were left astounded by the 19 packets of various steaks and the five boxes of Lego he had smuggled out of the supermarket in his coat.
Images show the array of stolen items laid out on the bonnet of the attending officers’ vehicle – showcasing the nimble-fingered crook’s attempted haul.
Visible are the nearly-20 packets of steaks, including packs of beef sizzle steaks, beef rump steaks and maple barbeque pork loin steaks, stacked in piles on the bonnet.
Alongside the meats are the five stolen boxes of Lego, consisting of two Lego speed champions cars, two Lego Batman sets and a James Bond-themed car build.
The Lego sets alone have a combined value of approximately £85 which, combined with the estimated value of the meats, means the thief nearly made off with over £150 worth of products.
The GMP Traffic unit took to Twitter last night to share the image, with the caption: “Male wanted for 6 months on a prison recall was spotted by an RPU officer in Salford this afternoon.”
They also joked: “This criminal had the audacity to make the RPU cop get out of his 4×4 and chase him on foot.
“When detained, he was found to have a large quantity of stolen property in his coat.”
The post has since received over 850 likes and 300 comments from users left in stitches by the shoplifter’s almost-admirable efforts.
One said: “I’m just impressed he was able to run or at least try to.”
Another added: “I reckon let the guy off for managing to fit all that in his coat. Very impressive stuff.”
A third joked: “Did you catch him after a steak out?”
Another quipped: “And the perp when apprehended was heard saying ‘there is a lot at stake, just Lego of me’.”
A fifth simply replied: “How big was his coat?”
Another joked: “Can I put a bid in for the Lego Aston Martin please?”
Greater Manchester Police have since confirmed on Twitter that all the goods were returned to the store that they were stolen from.
