A prolific burglar who was caught on CCTV disguised himself as a Just Eat delivery driver before stealing parcels from outside people’s homes in Cardiff. Phillip Thompson, 35, carried around one of the distinctive orange food delivery bags used by couriers, but instead of food inside, he used it to stash stolen goods – and now it has been revealed how he got away with it for so long.
In one incident, he was seen sneaking into an apartment block and helping himself to Amazon packages left outside flats and was identified using facial recognition technology. In another, Thompson carried a tin of paint and pretended to be a decorator to trick his way into student flats.
Now, South Wales Police has shared the extent of his criminal history and its reaction to realising how much theft he had been responsible for in Cardiff. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here
READ MORE: Moment prolific burglar poses as Just Eat delivery driver before snatching parcels
READ MORE: Pensioners miss bus after Swansea shopping centre tells them only students are allowed in
The case featured on the latest episode of BBC’s Crimewatch Live as detectives discussed the issue in more detail, and explained how they uncovered his identity.
Detective Sergeant Andy Coakley, from South Wales Police, told the show: “The more we looked into it, the more we saw a pattern emerging. That then was a massive eureka moment because we realised that he was actually very active and he was committing quite a lot of crime.
“The CCTV evidence that we were retaining was overwhelming. What he was doing interestingly and uniquely in relation to this was, he was pretending to deliver food for some quite well known organisations.” He explained how the burglar was waiting until the coast was clear and placing a bag on the floor and filling it with parcels in multiple locations, and he avoided looking at CCTV cameras directly. Detective Coakley added: “He was trespassing. He was stealing. He was burgling.”
Thompson was eventually identified using facial recognition technology after he accidentally looked directly at a CCTV camera. Police then went to known associates’ addresses, family addresses and addresses which were linked to him, to track him down to “prevent further damage”, Detective Coakley said.
Thompson was arrested in November, 2023, and brought in for questioning. Detective Coakley said: “I saw an individual who was furious at being caught. Thompson was very confrontational, had his own ideas as to where and when he’s committed a criminal offence, what he considered to be an offence, to what he considered to be a theft and a burglary.”
A clip was shown in the episode of Thompson disputing the idea that he had broken into any properties, as he had only stolen parcels and not entered anyone’s home.
After being charged with 11 offences of burglary and being remanded in custody, Thompson’s case took on a new twist, as he made an off hand remark, noting that he may have committed further offences, but did not elaborate. This then opened a “new line of investigation” for South Wales Police.
Thompson was offered a “TIC”, (Taken Into Consideration), which would mean the judge would take this into account when he was sentenced, and he also shared other areas in Cardiff which he had burgled. Detective Coakley described it as a particularly “interesting” interview, adding: “I’ve never experienced anything like this in my service” because Thompson opened up so much and had made it clear that he wanted all of the matters to be dealt with because he did not want new matters to be presented after he had been convicted.
Police officers re-interviewed him about a further 30 offences, where he admitted to 27. Thompson later pleaded guilty at Cardiff Crown Court and was sentenced to seven years and one month in prison.
Detective Inspector Phillip Marchant, from South Wales Police, also appeared on the programme, and noted: “I’m really proud of my team. It’s vitally important for us to do everything we possibly can to identify persons responsible for burglaries, to support victims of crime and let them know that we do all we can to get to the bottom of it.”
EMEA Tribune is not involved in this news article, it is taken from our partners and or from the News Agencies. Copyright and Credit go to the News Agencies, email news@emeatribune.com Follow our WhatsApp verified Channel
