Lemonade bottle snares Birmingham burglar
A FINGERPRINT left on a lemonade bottle has helped bring a burglar to justice.
The print – detected by forensic investigators at the scene of a burglary in Handsworth – was enough for detectives to identify the man who had been responsible for a string of offences spanning seven months.
Today, Robert Kirvej, 30, pleaded guilty to six offences in north west Birmingham, in which property valued at £13,820 was either stolen or damaged.
The offences date back to May this year when a house was broken into and copper piping from the central heating system stolen.
Over the next couple of months, a string of similar offences were reported to police including one which happened late November on Uplands Road in Handsworth.
When specialist forensic scene investigators searched the property for clues, they discovered an empty bottle of Sprite which the home owner had not seen before.
The bottle was examined and a fingerprint recovered.
This was then searched against an extensive database of prints and later matched to Kirvej.
Detective Sergeant Steve Temperton from Birmingham Central police station said: “Kirvej clearly though he could get away with his crime spree. But thanks to his carelessness and some excellent forensic work, we were able to identify, locate and arrest this prolific criminal whose actions have brought misery to many.
“I welcome today’s guilty plea and hope his story sends a clear message to other criminals.”
Kirvej was arrested at his home in Handsworth Gardens in the early hours of Monday 12 December and is due to be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court later this month.
In November, West Midlands Police conducted the first national day of tweets dedicated to forensic scene investigators (FSIs).
Using the micro-blogging site Twitter, FSIs working in the west and centre of Birmingham tweeted live from crime scenes for 24 hours.
News of the guilty plea comes during operation Steel – a forcewide crackdown on thieves targeting valuable metal.
For more information on policing in the west and centre of Birmingham, search for @brumpolice on Twitter.
