Calls to stolen mobiles phones stop thief in the act

A thief who stole 23 mobile phones in a nightclub and stuffed them into his pants and socks was caught when they started ringing as he tried to escape.

Fethi Baouche, 33, was rumbled by bouncers after taking phones from women's handbags at the Oceana nightclub in Kingston upon Thames.

Police found 16 mobiles in his pockets, six in his socks and one in his underpants. Several started ringing while door staff searched him at 3am on March 11. Officers also found a small bag of what appeared to be herbal cannabis, money and credit cards.

He was jailed for six months at Kingston magistrates' court for 13 counts of theft. It emerged that Baouche, an Algerian, was an illegal immigrant who had been deported once but sneaked back into the UK. He will be sent home after he finishes his sentence.

Police believe he was part of a north African gang responsible for stealing hundreds of phones in nightclubs across London in recent months.

Steve Fleury, manager of Oceana, said after the sentencing: "The phones were in places you wouldn't think of. The guys did an exemplary job."