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Thief finds lead roofs with Google Earth

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-03-16 10:01

A man has admitted using Google Earth to locate lead roofing for onward sale.

Tom Berge stole £100,000 worth of the metal after using the internet tool to scour London's roof tiles, says The Daily Telegraph.

The 27-year-old builder pled guilty to the theft at Sutton Magistrates Court last week.

He was sentenced to an eight-month suspended jail term, given 100 hours of community service and put on curfew.

Detective Sergeant Chris Grant, who led the investigation, said: "He was a prolific offender up until the time he was arrested. Since then our crime figures for theft of lead have reduced significantly."

A friend of the builder's said: "He sat at home and scoured south London for targets with just a few clicks of the mouse. He homed in on all sorts of buildings - many of them listed."