A thief who stole a mobile phone which had been left in Tesco by mistake was caught after putting his photograph on it which showed up on the victim's Google account and he recognized him as someone from his work place.

Anthony Rutter, 22, of Pengegon Parc, Camborne, was further implicated when police checked his partner’s Facebook account and found a message on it saying: “Ant has come home with a Samsung S3 for me”.

This was the type of phone which Rutter stole when he picked it up in Tesco at Camborne after the owner Marty Rogers had left it at a till.

At Truro Magistrates’ Court Rutter pleaded guilty to stealing the phone worth £400 on May 31.

Defendant, a factory worker, who had no previous convictions, had had a "moment of stupidity" when he stole it, said his solicitor Mark Charnley, and further stupidity when he subsequently put his photograph on it. He felt a proper fool for what he had done.

The magistrates gave him a conditional discharge for 18 months and told him to pay £75 costs and surcharge.