GRANTHAM: A barcode from a Wickes DIY store helped police catch a thief who smashed through a shop wall to steal £33 000 in cash.
He was caught after detectives spotted the barcode from his newly bought chisel among the rubble.
Wickes staff read the barcode, pinpointed when it was sold allowing police officers to trawl CCTV footage to see who had bought it.
Roy Watson, of Grantham, Lincolnshire, was jailed for two-and-a-half years at Lincoln Crown Court after admitting burglary.
Detective Sergeant Jon Shield, who spotted the incriminating piece of paper, said without it Lincolnshire Police had very few clues.
"We used some good old-fashioned detective work to crack a particularly challenging crime that presented us with very little to go on at the start. We hope this example of our work reassures the public that if they do report crime to us we do our level best to find the culprits and bring them to justice," he said.
