Thief caught green-faced after being squirted with luminous spray breaking  into car

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Caught in the act: Green-faced Yafet Askale

Metropolitan Police

Thieves are often caught 'red-handed' but this hapless crook was nabbed  GREEN-FACED thanks to a new anti-crime device.

Bungling car thief Yafet Askale was coated by an invisible spray that glow  luminous green in ultraviolet light.

Askale, 28, broke into a car and stole items including a laptop. But as he  did so he was squirted with SmartWater which alerted the police to his  antics.

Askale,  from Harlesden, northwest London, was arrested and sentenced to  49 hours of community service and ordered to pay £400 costs.

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Metropolitan Police/PA

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Yafet Askale

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Police are now offering SmartWater kits to people in the local area who want  to protect their property against thieves.

Met  police detective inspector Madeline Ryder said: "This is another excellent  example of the thorough work completed by Brent Officers.

"Using the trap car technology, we were able to charge Askale and put him  before the courts.

"The trap car forms part of an overall crime reduction strategy designed by  SmartWater, which is an effective weapon in the armoury of tools that we  routinely use in Brent.

"We will continue to target those who are insistent on committing these types  of offence."