Photograph leads police to stolen camera

Gerard Vincent Rice (30) of Freehall Road, Castlerock appeared at North Antrim Magistrates' Court last Wednesday charged with handling stolen goods following the theft of camera equipment from a house in Articlave on May 6.

The court heard that officers investigating the burglary searched a house in nearby Dunboe Gardens but they did not find the stolen goods.

However, several days later the goods turned up at the injured party's home. When police examined the camera they found a digital image of one of the rooms in the house which they had previously searched. The defendant and the occupants of the house were subsequently arrested.

Rice told the police that once he found out who the items belonged to he immediately returned them.

Defence told the court that there was no suggestion the defendant had been involved with the theft although he accepted he had handled the goods.

It was added that the defendant had apologised to the injured party, who is a professional photographer, after he returned the goods.

District Judge, Richard Wilson, fined Rice 300 and warned him not to be involved in this sort of behaviour again.