Britain’s dumbest thief has been caught on film climbing a ladder to burgle the home – of a CCTV engineer.
The dozy crook broke into the property in broad daylight after propping a ladder he found in the garden against a wall and slipping through an open bathroom window.
But the shameless fugitive’s every move was captured on clear footage from the home surveillance system of victim Paul Selvester, 37, who works as a CCTV engineer.
The crystal clear footage has now been passed to police who are appealing for the public to come forward and identify him.
He was disturbed when Paul’s wife Trudy, 36, returned home from a dog walk prompting the bumbling burglar to make a hasty retreat.
He is said to have scarpered into an adjoining bedroom and leapt from a first-floor window, narrowly avoiding concrete steps below, before escaping through a neighbour’s garden.
Paul, who lives with his wife and two young children and 15-month-old Labrador, said they were relieved nothing was taken or seriously damaged.
He said: “It’s quite shocking the nerve of the guy. Leaving the bathroom window open and the ladder unsecured was probably, in hindsight, a little daft but it’s the way he just walks into the garden and does what he does.
“I think he was quite experienced in this, judging by the way he squeezed through the eight inch gap in the window and ran off after jumping from the first floor.
“We’re just glad he didn’t have more time to actually steal anything or enter the property when my wife or children are alone.
“It’s been a massive shock for us. We live in quite a nice area and this has never happened before.”
The burglar broke into the property in Plymouth, Devon, on November 7 at around 11.40am.
In a three minute video released by police, the man is seen slowly emerging into shot and peering through the window. He then creeps up to the back door and glances inside.
Unaware that he is being recorded, he then appears back into shot with a ladder that he extends and places against an open window.
The clueless crook looks around as he scales the steps before lifting open the slot, taking off his bag and sliding inside – shutting the window behind him.
The suspect has been described by police as a white male of medium build, aged between 40 and 50-years-old with dark brown or black hair and shaved sides.
He was spotted scaling the back of the property by a neighbour, who alerted Trudy as she returned home.
Paul added: “Hopefully, by putting these images out, we can catch this guy and stop him from doing it to someone else.”
Devon and Cornwall Police responded to the report of a break-in but were too late to find the culprit.
He remains at large though officers are continuing to appeal for anyone who may have witnessed the incident or have any information about it to get in touch.
