LONDON (Reuters) - A bungling bandit was nabbed after he left his wallet and mobile phone behind during an armed raid on a liquor store, a court heard on Thursday.
The robber took his wallet out to pay for a can of lager in a ploy to get the shopkeeper to open the till. But in the confusion as three other members of the gang ransacked the shop escaping with cash, phone cards and booze, he forgot he had left it on the counter, said prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones.
He also dropped his mobile phone which had his number in the memory and did not remember to wear gloves leaving his fingerprints on the can of lager, the Old Bailey heard.
He was arrested the next day in one of the easiest crimes police have had to crack.
Detectives traced Junior Adeoye, 19, from his wallet and his phone. Adeoye, of north London, pleaded guilty to robbery.
The court heard that Adeoye and three others raided the D & D Off License and newsagents in New Southgate, north London.
The gang escaped with two mobile phones, 800 pounds worth of phone cards, 825 pounds in cash and bottles of spirits.
Adeoye realized he had left his wallet behind and tried to hide his involvement by reporting it stolen. But as the evidence piled up against him, he admitted his guilt.
Judge Graham Boal said he would sentence him later on Thursday.