Episode 8 Crimewatch Roadshow

cruel con man who robbed an elderly Welcome to Crimewatch Roadshow. We

are live every weekday morning looking at the crimes that can spoil

your lives. Today, he pretended to have her best interests at heart.

Help us catch the bogus electrician who conned a woman in her own home.

Taking dog detection to the next level. Watch our wonder dog sliding

action. -- wonder dog is live in action. And this they got away with

the ground just before Christmas at a Liverpool garage. Do you know him?

The Roadshow team are alike and share this -- are in Lancashire

today. IQ you have some new friends? And Danny is one of them. Am at the

Lancashire police dog unit meeting a range of dogs from German Shepherd

is to labradors, spaniels and eight tell Jim malinois. And that there is

no such thing as a boring day in the office here! -- a Belgian malinois.

Stay tuned. Over the last year, thousands of people have fallen

victim to distraction burglaries. It seems that the DS thieves will stop

at nothing to conned their way into people's homes.

-- DVS thieves. Distraction burglary is a terrible

crime. The vulnerable. -- the vulnerable are targeted. To think

someone could rob somebody, especially somebody old, is

despicable. On a Thursday afternoon last April, Mary, and 85-year-old

widow, was making herself eight cup of tea and planning to settle down

in front of the TV. Outside a man in a high viz jacket was walking up and

down the street, knocking on doors. I was watching television and are

keen to see who was at the door. Is him moving away. I've thought he was

a workman. -- is sought him moving away. He said he was working on the

flats, because there was a problem with the electrics. He said they had

to check. CCTV shows a silver car pulling up. Our man gets out and

puts on his high viz jacket as he crosses the road. He then spends

some time walking up and down in search of a victim. Unfortunately

for Mary, she was the one who answered the door. Where is your

meter? He asked where the meter was. I said was not sure where. He said

he would find it. We went into the kitchen and they came out -- he came

out and said he had found it. meter was not in the kitchen. This

was just part of the con. He told Mary he would check for a fault and

centre upstairs to switch the lights on and off. The man convinced that

was at fault but it could be fixed by sticking a small black box to her

meter. I'd came down and he said I needed to give him �30 to leave the

box. I'll put this on the meter and then will give you the money back

tomorrow. To secure the deal, the burglar was quick to pick up on a

love of Mary's, the TV. He said, that's a good picture on your

television. Do you watch it often? I said I did. He said, well, if you do

not get the box, you will not be able to watch that tonight. So that

is why I'd give him the money. gave him. Mary gave him �30, but the

burglar was not finished yet. He asked her to go upstairs and switch

the lights on and off for a second time, just to be sure. While Mary

flicked the lights on and off, the burglar continued his checks, but

this time he was checking Mary's handbag. I thought there was

something not right from the start. As they for money and then asking me

to go upstairs, and put the lights on, I could not understand that. --

ASCII me for money. By the time Mary got downstairs, the man had

vanished, after helping himself to another �200.

�230 is a lot of money to Mary because she is on benefits. I had

saved that money to buy myself some new clothes but now that money has

gone. I'll have to wait to save the money back.

Being a victim of this crime has left Mary feeling uneasy, and wary

of strangers. It does frighten you. It does, when you get older, you are

more vulnerable. My husband died two years ago and I've felt very lonely

since then. Sorry. I'd have been very lonely, and they have not been

going out because they did not feel like it. But I am in getting better,

going out and meeting people. But this has just set me back, this

has. This has been a distressing time for Mary and I'm joined by PC

Matthew Smith. A horrible case. Truly horrible. You have to feel

sorry for her. These people target the more vulnerable members of our

society and they take advantage of the trust that they put in the

authorities. Who are you looking for? , 40 to 50, wearing a dark

jacket and a woollen hat, similar to that. He also had this high

visibility jacket, which he has put on getting out of what we know as a

silver vehicle. Someone has dropped him off, possibly a Peugeot estate.

It does not mean that someone else is involved. This silver car and

then picked him up again. We are looking for the man and sightings of

the car? Yes. He pretended he was looking for the other trusty meter.

Is that a common trick? Yes, gas and electric, they will look the part.

What will say is asked for identification. If these people are

doing work in the area, they will let you know and they will post the

letter. They might have advertised in the local paper. If they are

genuine, you might know about it already. If they are not, ask for

ID. If they are genuine, they will let you look at their ID. And,

briefly, any other top tips? If you have friends or family that you are

concerned about, that -- pass this message on. If you are unsure, speak

to the head office, and if you're still unsure, former police. It is

worth taking extra care if someone you do not know knocks on your door.

Time to take a look at more criminals caught on camera. He

warned, there are some nasty incidents coming up. -- be warned.

incidents coming up. -- be warned. We are in Leicester and shocking

incident happened last September. As three men what passed a traffic

warden, but one with a plaster cast appears to spit on his pad. All

three keep walking, but the traffic warden is not happy. He follows the

men and looks like he's to reason with them. One of them is clearly

not in the mood to listen. Watch as he steps back and suddenly, he kicks

the warden in the head. That is sickening. This violent incident

left the warden traumatised and suffering from memory loss. Can you

identify the man who kicked him or do you know his mates who witnessed

the incident? Get in touch if they look familiar.

February this year, and there is a fight going on outside his shop.

Keep your eye on the guy in the light trousers. He has got a knife.

Then we see him forcing his way into the shop, threatening the shopkeeper

with the blade. He is after the youths, taking refuge behind the

counter. He tries to get at them but he is stopped by the shopkeeper. As

he leaves, he lunges at them, violently swinging the knife

over-the-counter. Remarkably, nobody in the shop suffered any injuries,

but it was a terrifying attack. This guy is dangerous. Let's help police

catch him. This is a really nasty one. Saturday

morning on my Lent Road. This allowed in the light clothes is

bothering people on the street. -- this light. He suddenly punches a

complete stranger. As he swaggers off, passers-by come to help. The

victim suffered a broken nose. Please look closely. Police needs to

Please look closely. Police needs to Please look closely. Police needs to

catch this violent thug. If you can help, give us a call on --: you can

also e-mail us. Soon, we're going to see Danny and

other dogs like him being put through their paces. But it is not

all about the training. It is the close bond forged at home between

dog and handler that make them such an effective team.

For dogs and their handlers, the bond they form over many years is

key to their working relationship. The police dog and the police dog

handler have a massive bond. The dogs become part of their family,

best friends almost. When the dog retires, the handler then takes the

dog, Ghent and look after that dog as if it was their own. -- takes the

dog home and looks after that dog. Liam and his dog met recently.

I applied for the unit, one of the tests was to go into a kennel and

put one of the dogs onto a lead. The dog happens to be Sirius and I

remember going and saying to the instructor, if you do not use this

dog and I'd do not get the job, can I have him, because he is lovely.

I've fell in love with him straightaway. I'd came home and are

said to my wife, I don't want to say this, because they do not want to

jinx it, but I have a feeling that that is meant to be my job. Sirius

and Liam have developed a close bond. You can see that when they are

training. They are very, very good friends. I'd do not know what I

would do if I did not have him. He is the second love of my life,

behind my wife. Liam knows that when duty calls, things might be

dangerous for both of them. I would be mortified if anything happened to

him but at the same time, you have to remember that it is a police dog

and he is there to do a job. If there is someone with a knife or a

weapon, and that is the correct tactic, to send Sirius. Even if I'd

do not want him to get help -- get hurt, that is irrelevant. That is

something only to accept in the working relationship. Fantastic. And

we will see another top team in action now. John Cuthbertson and his

dog, Danny. And I'm joined by Simon Harwood, the senior instructor. Tell

me about Danny. Danny is an English Brynner Spaniel, trained as a victim

detection transit evidence job. Today we will be looking at CSI.

John and Danny go to serious crime scenes to search for evidence. Danny

will search for human tissue, blood and bone matter. We use spaniels and

Labrador because they are keen working dogs with bags of stamina.

They have a fantastic nose, so much better than humans. We have one drop

of blood placed on this lane. Danny has to locate that single drop of

blood, which could replicate a victim having spilt it or an

offender having spilt it. We may then get the evidence we require. We

could identify the subject, or identify the place of offence.

heading to that model. Will he sniff it out? He is very close? That is

his indication and he is rewarded with a tennis ball. In real life,

they would take him away and hand him over to the CSI team. And you

have another test for him? We will put Danny through his paces once

again. We have a vehicle over here. This kind of search, it could have

been from an accident where someone has been killed or injured. Even if

the vehicle has been cleaned, the dog will still smell it. You will

still be bone matter, Flash, here follicles, or even a solitary drop

of blood on this vehicle. We have a little piece of flesh. Port?We use

port because it is very similar to our flesh. The piece of flesh is one

millimetre. It is a tiny piece of flesh, replicating what could be

left by an offender. And this is something he does a lot. I'd know he

is searching around the side of the vehicle, and John will stay with him

for this. Absolutely. It is very controlled and methodical. John

directs where he wants to search. We'll arch is, anywhere that there

might be evidence. As you can see now, he has identified this tiny

piece of flesh. He will not disturb it, because once again, we have

forensic issues. In real life, it would be handed over to the forensic

team. It is all a game for him but he would not get the ball at the

crime scene. Not at all. He would be forensically suited, so that the DNA

did not ruin the search. The dog would be taken away and they would

deal with that. Simon, thank you. What a star.

It is time to take a look at the wanted faces. Police forces are

asking for your help to find this man. Firstly, Andrew Walker, he has

been wanted in North Yorkshire since 2005. Allegations of fraud carried

out using his dead mother's identity. Six feet tall and of

scruffy appearance, he has connections to Harrogate. The next

man, he has been wanted since September 2008, he failed to appear

at Harrow Crown Court, charged with burglary. He is five foot eight and

originally from Poland. He could be anywhere in the country. Next, he

failed to comply with a court order and a warrant was issued for his

arrest. He is accused of stealing a caravan worth �12,000 and receiving

stolen goods. He was born in Ireland but has connections there as well as

Bolton. He is of stocky build with cropped redhead. Last, he has been

wanted by officers in London since 2009 in connection with a burglary

in the Brent area. He is originally from Romania but it is thought he is

still in the UK. Call us if you recognise any of them, or you can

text us. Or send us an e-mail. We are waiting to hear from you. Still

to come today... They are put through their paces,

and will Flash find the drugs? Scared for his life, the young man

held to ransom by a knife wielding thief.

Now, a serious attack caught on CCTV in black ball.

2:50am on the 21st of April, these men are arguing with two men. The

other men have just come from a nearby takeaway. The argument turns

violent. The sun is punched and another man hits Andrew. He falls to

the floor and, while he lies unconscious, the same man stands on

his head. I am joined by one of the

investigating team. This was a horrible attack, what can you tell

us? They are not from the area, due to them not being identified yet.

Out of town, on a stag do or birthday party. Is this crime, and

their? We have got such a concentrated amount of drinking

establishments, spilling out at the same time, sometimes it becomes a

melee. We do have that Dublin in the town centre. It looked very

serious, has Andrew been badly hurt? It is a chilling attack, to

inflict the possibility of the severity of the injury, but he has

made a great recovery, but the potential was horrendous.

You might think that football hooliganism belong to another era,

but every so often, it does still happen. Patrick Chapman needs your

help to bring some hooligans to justice. We are working on serious

disorder which happened at Wembley on the 13th of April, the FA Cup

semi-final between Millwall and Wigan. What happened?During the

second half, fighting broke out a amongst Millwall fans in the

Millwall stand. Those scenes were relayed live across the world. The

resulting images were in the newspapers the next day. A number of

people were arrested, they are going through the courts. How many?

date, with the help of the public and the real fans, they have been

charged with violence related offences. We are seeking further

identities of people. We have got four more that you are interested in

naming. I hope that somebody recognises them. You believe they

were Millwall fans? They were in the Millwall part of the stadium. We

have had a great response. Operation Arrowtip is the Met Police response

to football related disorder. As a result, we have put out a lot of

images and had a great result. Somebody must recognise these

people. The ones going through the court process at the moment, they

are also getting lengthy bans, so the decent fans will not have to

bump into them at the ground. want to make it a better environment

for real fans to enjoy foot tall. get in touch if you recognise any of

these faces. We have seen this police dogs find

the most minute particle of evidence, but they have to be

robust, so let's take a look at them in action.

Some suspected criminals are on the loose in the countryside near

Preston, with the police hot on their trail. Today, it is up to

Logan, serious and Flash to apprehend the suspect and seek out

vital evidence. But it is just part of their regular training and

exercises like these warranty they are always on top form. The dogs we

have are a crucial part of how we police the streets of the county.

They support every aspect of policing, from major incidents,

public order incidents, two explosive search dogs, which are

trained to search for explosives. We also have the body recovery, CSI

dogs, which search for home and at human blood, tissue and bodies.

Today's test has three parts, starting with the chance for the

general purpose and drug stocks to show off their skills. This is a

scenario where we will have a subject vehicle, the offender will

run off, the police dog will arrive, and the dog will chase and detain

the subject. First, it is Logan and his handler will stop -- his

handler. The police chased the suspect's vehicle, which veers into

a field, before one of them makes a run for it. Leaping from the front

window of the police car, Logan games on the suspect with

frightening speed. The dog is quick to take her down and holds on tight.

While Logan and the handler are busy with dealing with the first suspect,

the second one makes a dash the cover. We have got a subject who

runs from the vehicle and is hiding in the woods. The dog will track the

subject into the woods to try and find them. Now, it is who's turn.

do not know where they have gone, but they have gone from the stolen

vehicle. The dog will track the scent of the vehicle and hopefully

locate them. Human beings constantly shed skin and sent everywhere. Our

noses do not pick them up. Also, crushed vegetation, recently stored

on grass, the dogs can smell this, With the second suspect successfully

detained, it is time to see what they were running from. The subjects

have both left the vehicle, they have been arrested, and now we have

a drug detection dog to go through the vehicle. Flash will be put to

the test. He gives the vehicle a full sweep. It is not long until he

finds heroin just behind the driver seat. Well done! Good boy! Yes!All

the dogs successfully completed their tasks, and for that, they get

lots of praise and to play with their favourite toy. That is how we

get it, it is a game, he is looking for the reward that he gets for

finding the scent. Even the criminal stuff that we do, chasing people, it

is taught as a big game, the dogs love it. It is just, it is going to

be brilliant, it does not matter what we are doing.

Amazing animals. Christmas is meant to be a time for giving, but the

robber in our next shocking appeal was not feeling in the festive

spirit. It happened so quickly. I was

fighting for my life. I saw a guy with a code go in. When he put his

life on my neck, I was sure he was going to kill me. I felt lucky to be

alive. He has worked at the service station for seven months. I am

having a good time here, the people are nice, I see new people every

day, I enjoyed to talk with the people. On the Friday before

Christmas, he was working and unusually quiet late shift. He was

having problems with the till, which he was trying to fix. I was doing

something with the machine, and when I finished, I heard the noise, he

opened the door. I saw a man, he was wearing a black mask, carrying a

long stick, and when I saw him, I was completely shocked, I did not

know what to do. He fought back as best he could. Eventually, tackling

the thief with a chair. I threw the check on him and had a big fight

with him. He dropped his stick. was quite a struggle, there were

weapons involved, and you can see him striking towards him with the

poll. He did not expect him to put up any sort of resistance, which he

did, and that caught him by surprise. With the stick on the

floor, the robber upped his game. When it comes back into camera shot,

you can see that he has got a large knife in his hand. When he hauled

the knife, I did not try to fight, because I thought, this is harmful

for me. He took me to the till, and he said, give me the money. He did

as he was told. The robber helped himself to around �1000 from the

till. But even that was not enough. The attack left him shocked and

stunned. I was phoning my manager, he was not picking up. Fortunately,

a customer on the forecourt have raised the alarm. I saw a man with a

metal bar go in. Are you still there? Yes, please go, quickly.

the time the police arrived, the robber had made his getaway. He is

caught on this CCTV camera, heading towards a nearby housing estate on

his bike, but he left a vital clue behind. Our team attended the shop,

the stick that he'd used was recovered, it was covered in cling

film, which is quite strange, it is a wooden pole with clingfilm over

the top. This robber got away with �1000. The police believe somebody

will have seen him splashing the cash over the festive period.

happened four days before Christmas, the offender will have gone from

having no money to having �1000. He would have spent that on Christmas

presents, most likely. Six months on, the violet attack still has an

effect. I was off work for more than two weeks. When I go outside in the

dark, I still feel scared. I joined now by Mark Armstrong. You

have brought along one of the weapons that was used. This is the

weapon that the offender wielded at the cashier. It looks like a broom

handle or a mop handle. What makes it distinctive is it is covered in

cling film. I am hopeful that someone will recognise this because

it is distinctive. And it was also a footprint found at the scene.

the defendant -- when the offender was leaving, he left behind a

trainer Mark. It comes from a British Knights trainer. And also

this jacket, caught on CCTV. The three stripes down the side, three

quarters of the way down. That is quite distinctive. It is quite clear

that that is the jacket that is being warned. Obviously, his face is

covered but with everything else, we hope this will allow us to find out

who this is. And he left on a bike. You are appealing for anyone who may

have seen him arrive? Someone may have seen him reach the garage with

the poll. And when he left, he went across the road, busy road, down

Clifton Road towards the Tesco, then turning off and into the estate. If

anyone saw anyone cycling, wearing a mask about time, we would like to

hear from them. And I know you are desperate to catch this man. If

anyone knows anything, get in touch. anyone knows anything, get in touch.

Time to take a look at this second batch of CCTV.

Watford, and this elderly woman with the greenback has just withdrawn

�400 in cash. She puts all the money into an envelope which goes into her

bag. But she is being watched. As she leaves, she has followed into a

nearby shop. The woman has put on her headscarf and stays close to her

victim. She sticks with her as she shops. It looks like she is checking

out what is in the bag. As the elderly victim moves on, the thief

moves in on her target and steals the envelope containing �400.

Outrageous. Who is this woman? She needs to be stopped.

February this year and is this a balm and opening up for the night in

a London pub? No. This guy definitely is not thinking about

serving customers. Judging by the number of bottles he is stashing in

that beanbag, he is looking to stock up his own bar. He gets away with

�515 worth of drink. Give us a call if you recognise this

burglar. It is the end of November last year

and we were in Middlesex. Customers are not allowed to enter the cash

office of this hardware shop but this man obviously thinks the rules

do not apply to them. He tried the safe but it looks like he cannot

crack the code so he checks out the filing cabinets. Nothing to steal

there either. After rummaging through the desk, he finally spots

two mobile you very much. There they go into his pocket. -- two mobile

phones. Thank you very much. . Call us if you know this opportunistic

us if you know this opportunistic thief.

Let us put a stop to this behaviour. Pick up the phone and give us a call

if you can help. Or text us. E-mail us at: Or if you would prefer, call

Crimestoppers anonymously: and now a particularly nasty attack on a bingo

hall in Bolton last autumn. The 7th of October, 2012. Just

another evening shift for the workers at a Mecca Bingo -- Mecca

Bingo in Bolton. But the events of that evening have left staff

traumatised. The security guard on duty was so scared by the attack

that he has asked us to hide his identity. At seven PM, I checked

outside the building and is two man walking towards me. They had their

heads down, and I did not think much about it. They were both wearing

masks. The incident was captured on CCTV and shows two offenders coming

into the bingo Hall. The first offender produced what is described

as a silver revolver. The second has produced a large knife from under

his jacket. Get back! And with lethal weapons and with over 500

people in the building, there was a real danger that something

catastrophic could happen. My heart was racing and I did not know what

to do. I have never seen anything like this before. Whilst he tries to

calm things down, the security guard is held at bay by the second robber,

pointing a large knife at him, and forcing him to stay in the corner.

admire his bravery. He was confronted by two individuals

threatening extreme violence. He put himself in the way of danger and

protected members of the public. Give me the money! The incident

lasted just two minutes. I think this was a preplanned crime. These

individuals may well have been in the bingo hall on numerous

occasions. They knew where the cash desk was and they seemed to know the

routine of the security guard. robbers made off with over �4500 in

cash but the bingo Hall paid with more than money. The people employed

by Mecca Bingo have been traumatised by this incident. So much so that

they still fear coming to work. After they ran out, I was still

scared. I was terrified. I have never had a gun pointed in my face.

People are more wary now. It will not be the same as it used to be.

There will always be that element of looking over your shoulder.

And given the seriousness of this incident it is lucky that no one was

injured or even killed. DIA Christopher Walker from greater

Manchester police joined me. Horrible. This was a horrible event.

And the gun was pretty distinctive? It has been described as a silver or

chrome revolver with a barrel, and bullets in the centre of the

weapon. What about the descriptions of the men? The two men are

described as being five feet one and five foot six. They are wearing dark

clothing and balaclavas. The second male had ginger stubble, visible

through the mouthpiece. People have been traumatised by this. We heard

from the security guard that it was a horrible attack. It left an

impact. Lasting memories for these people. I would appeal to the

public, if they are in the area on the 7th of October last year and if

they saw these men acting suspiciously prior to the offence

taking place, contact us. And how was the investigation going? It is

being reviewed and I appeal to anyone who knows anything about this

offence to get in touch. Earlier in the programme we heard

about it distressing distraction burglary. Lancashire Constabulary

have asked for your help to find another cowardly customer. He has

prayed twice on an elderly woman. The first offence took place just

before 1pm on Friday the 24th of May in a village near Blackburn. The man

smashed a door to get in but left empty-handed. The second offence

happened on the Friday at 4:30pm, where he stole jewellery before

escaping through a bedroom window. Among the items stolen were a yellow

metal ring with a white stone. The offender is described as being

white, around six foot tall, in his 30s or 40s, and he has short,

cropped mousey hair. He was wearing a dark deed is tracksuit bottoms --

dark deed is tracksuit bottoms, grey trainers and grey gloves. Do you

know where this man is? If you do, get in touch.

Earlier, we saw Danny in action and now it is going to be the turn of

Oscar and his handler. For they come into the room, let me take you about

the test we have for them. Oscar can sniff out money so I have two

bundles of notes. I have to wear gloves so I do not contaminate them.

I'm going to hide them down the back of this so far. -- so far. Let's put

the other one in this white handbag. His trainer is with me now. Shall we

call the men? Certainly.Can you ask Oscar to search this room? Oscar is

used predominantly in drugs searches. We quite often find that

offenders who are concerned with the supply of drugs will have large

quantities of cash on the premises. He has found it already! And he gets

the ball. Off to find the next one. The dogs have a very sensitive sense

of smell. It really is amazing how much they can smell. Money and the

ink on money has a unique smell. That is what they are trained to

find. Sterling and euros. How useful is he to the team? Incredible.

Search teams may miss quantities of cash hidden under floorboards. And

that is where Oscar comes into a zone because his cells of smell is

so good. -- a sense of smell. And he has found that one as well!

certainly has. And he certainly has. And he's used practically a lot.

has found a lot of cash. He has been on operation for two and a half

years and he has found massive quantities of drugs. He has found

also huge quantities of cash. He is invaluable. Thank you for showing us

that. Anna is here, one of the senior trainers. We have had a

fantastic time this morning. They are the real heroes.

Time for a quick update. Some great information coming in on that

distraction burglary and a possible name for the man who targeted Mary

in Salford. Great news. Lots of viewers operating to help her out.

They are also offering to help out Gabby Sanchez. He was the blind man

who had his laptop stolen. It is nice to hear that people want to

help him out. Tell us, where will you be tomorrow?

Tomorrow, I'm going to be in Manchester and we are appealing for

information about an unbelievable stun gun attack on a shopkeeper and

also we have been out on night patrol with greater Manchester

police. It is going to be a busy shift.

All of the day's CCTV is online. As to our website. Finally, we will