Thug who stole phones and laptops from halls banged up

The dopey criminal left behind a sheet of paper with his name and address

campue crime drugs Freshers january news prison robberies the vale

A local druggie who disguised himself as University staff to break into the Vale has been jailed for four years.

The foolish thief was caught when he left behind a sheet of paper, which incredibly had his name written on it.

He was arrested and sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court for five burglaries after pleading guilty.

The thief, Ricky Woolaston, carried out a string of burglaries in January this year after disguising himself as staff.

Unwitting freshers let him into the accommodation, where he was then able to steal phones and laptops from rooms.

Justice as the man was charged for four years.

Jon Green, a member of Birmingham’s Crime team, said: “Woolaston targeted students at Birmingham University in order to feed his drug habit.

“He wore a Birmingham University top and pretended to be a maintenance engineer in order to enter the student flats and steal electronic goods.”

Woolaston, 35, was caught by police as he left his bag in the Biosciences department, which revealed his name.

Green continued: “Unfortunately for him, Woolaston managed to leave vital evidence behind at one of the break-ins, and we are grateful to vigilant students who were able to identify him for further burglaries.

“Woolaston was charged with a total of five offences, and asked for a further five burglaries to be taken into consideration.

“We are happy with his sentence.”

The man disguised himself as a member of staff to trick students.

Freshers who live in the Vale can now feel safer with this burglar behind bars.

If students have any safety concerns they should visit the police office on campus between 1-3pm on Wednesdays in the University Centre, to discuss it further with PC Andy Smith.

Second year English student, Louie Cullen said: “It’s great they’ve finally caught the guy.

“People can start to feel safe again and have a sense of closure about the situation.”