Caught on camera: Brazen burglar breaks into home before posing for householder's picture

A bungling burglar framed himself when he was caught breaking into a house - after posing for a picture.

Hapless Stephen Neal was spotted by householder Bernie Sawford and had seconds to flee the garden before he was caught on camera.

But when Mr Sawford grabbed a camcorder and started filming the crook, Neal didn't make his escape - and instead posed as he caught on camera.

When Mr Sawford, 58, had started filming Neal - who was carrying an iron bar - Neal told him 'I don't care' and stood still before calmly walking away.

Mr Sawford dialled 999 and showed his footage to police who found the framed crook nearby and arrested him.

Neal, 26, a prolific petty thief, admitted attempted burglary and possessing an iron bar and was jailed for a year at Cambridge Crown Court. 

Mr Sawford, from Ely, Cambs., said: 'I noticed there was somebody in the garden but we have a walkway going through to next door so I didn't think much of it.

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'But then he was trying the handle of my back door so I went out and confronted him.

'He wasn't aggressive or anything but it was quite scary.

'The guy just loitered in my garden for a while, posed for a picture and then ambled back down the street.

'He tried to tell me that he was hiding from some people who were after him but I told him he wouldn’t be hiding in my garden.

'I got my video camera and I told him that I was going to video him and he didn’t seem to mind. He just stood there for me.

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'I called police soon after and they arrived at the door within minutes.'

Mr Sawford, a grandfather-of-two, added: 'Apparently, police were holding a training exercise in Ely that day for just such an incident so it was quite unlucky for him.

'Normally you don't get many police in the city but on the day he chose to burgle me there were about a dozen near my house.'