VIDEO: cherry picker thieves caught in the act on YouTube

Two thieves have been jailed after footage of their crime was posted on YouTube.

When a cherry picker, valued at £7,000, was stolen from Newmills, near Valleyfield, in 2010, the owner turned to the site for help.

He uploaded CCTV footage online in a bid to identify the culprits. A member of the public contacted Crimestoppers and inquiries led to two men.

William Allison (44) and Ian Dolan (41), who are both from Airdrie, were sentenced to 12 months and 11 months respectively, when they appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court this week.

Detective Sergeant Jimmy Adamson, who led the inquiry, said: ”I would like to thank the public for their assistance in this inquiry which led to the arrest of these two men.”

He continued: ”The widespread use of social media has become an important tool for the modern-day police officer and the results shown in this case are clear evidence of this.”

He thanked the public and asked that anyone with information regarding any crime should contact Fife Constabulary on 0845 600 5702 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.