A Queensland father has warned families to install security cameras in their homes this Christmas season, a year after he was robbed in the middle of the night.
Steve Garland, 46, was asleep in his Sunshine Coast home during the holidays in 2016 when he was woken up by his son, Jason, at 2am.
The 21-year-old had just spotted a man jumping the fence and running away from the family home.
Mr Garland, a small business owner, immediately checked his home office to find the thief had stolen his brand new $2500 Apple laptop and an expensive torch.
Steve Garland, 46, (right) was asleep in his Sunshine Coast home during the holidays in 2016 when he was woken up by his son Jason who had seen a man fleeing their home
A thief had entered Mr Garland’s home at 2am and stolen a $2500 Apple computer and an expensive torch
The burglar can be seen stealing the items in security footage from camera’s installed by Mr Garland three weeks earlier
Luckily, Mr Garland has installed secutiry cameras in his home just three weeks earlier, news.com.au reports, and had managed to capture the burglar on tape.
‘I checked the security cameras, and sure enough, he was caught on CCTV,’ Mr Garland told the publication.
‘He was a bit of an idiot — he looked straight at the camera before he grabbed the laptop and bolted.’
Police arrived to take fingerprints from the scene the following morning, but were unable to get a clear match.
‘He was a bit of an idiot — he looked straight at the camera before he grabbed the laptop and bolted,’ Mr Garland said of the thief
Taking matters into his own hands, Mr Garland posted the security footage to his local community Facebook page
Taking matters into his own hands, Mr Garland posted the security footage to his local community Facebook page, hoping someone would recognise the thief.
Despite a blurred image and the intruder wearing a hat, the man’s tattoos were visible in the video and he was identified.
‘A few days later, I got an anonymous phone call from a woman who knew him,’ Mr Garland said.
The thief was reportedly jailed for several years as the 46-year-old father was hailed a local hero.
Police discovered the thief was a drug user with a history of robberies, having stolen nine cars and filling the boots with stolen goods.
The items were returned to the families but unfortunately, Mr Garland’s computer was never found.
The thief was reportedly jailed for several years as the 46-year-old father was hailed a local hero.