A still from spy camera footage helped net a drug addict who held a knife to a woman’s throat in a bid to rob her.

It was published in the Scunthorpe Telegraph, and a reader recognised the attacker and informed the police, resulting in a court case that ended with a three-and-a-half year jail term.

Police inspector Steve Page said after the hearing: “This shows the positive ways that Humberside Police and the Scunthorpe Telegraph can work together and produce results for the wider community.

“It perfectly demonstrates what a positive impact the media can have.”

Grimsby Crown Court heard how on one occasion he stole a handbag from someone he knew, making off on a pedal cycle, and on another occasion simply walked through the open patio door at the home of an elderly disabled woman and stole two purses.

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