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Ineptness becoming the trademark of UK thieves

Britain's growing company of inept petty thieves may have gained a new member on Tuesday after a man was arrested because of his bizarre and incriminating fashion sense.

Burgled shopkeeper Neil Primett was dumbfounded to spot a passer-by dressed from collar to ankle in striking but uncoordinated designs -- exactly like those stolen three weeks ago from his store in Bedford.

`criminal' fashion

"I couldn't believe it -- he was wearing such a mismatch," he said, after ringing police and then tailing the luridly dressed suspect whose outfit was topped off with a T-shirt vividly stamped with the word "Criminal."

"That's a sleeveless summer item which we haven't even put on sale yet,"Primett said.

Although the streets were busy, the suspect's clashing combination of green check elasticated trousers, a jazzy tracksuit top and the electric blue sleeveless T- shirt with "Criminal" in luminous yellow made him hard to lose.

"The top really stood out," said Primett, after the man was taken away in a patrol car equally clearly labelled "police."

conspicuous apparel

"He may have thought he was being fashionable but the clothes didn't go together at all. You certainly couldn't call him a trendsetter," Primett said.

A man was bailed for questioning about the raid on Planet Clothing in Bedford which specializes in clothes not used for camouflage.

"I always recognize clothes from my store because there are not many other places that sell them," Primett said.

Banana sick-up

The arrest follows the recent downfall of London robber Robert Downey, who held up a betting shop with a banana which he had wrapped in a transparent plastic bag.

He also failed to make his getaway quickly enough because of the time spent trying to wrestle off his balaclava which was several sizes too small.

Gnome defense

Soon afterwards another suspected burglar was caught after making so much noise on 70-year-old Jean Collop's cottage roof in Cornwall that she woke up and felled him with a garden gnome.
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