A prolific burglar pretended to be a Just Eat delivery driver so he could steal parcels from dozens of homes before he was caught out by CCTV.
Phillip Thompson, 35, disguised himself as a delivery driver including carrying around the distinctive orange delivery bag used by couriers to stash stolen goods inside.
He was seen sneaking into an apartment block and helping himself to Amazon packages left outside flats and identified using facial recognition technology.
But a court heard he was caught out on CCTV and facial recognition technology helped bring him to justice.
Police said Thompson carried out 80 burglaries across Cardiff and Penarth and was jailed for seven years and one month.
CCTV footage shows him standing in a communal corridor with an orange Just Eat delivery bag at his feet.
Then, clad in grey with his hood up and black gloves on he wander through a door and returns carrying Amazon parcels which he stuffs into the food bag before sauntering away.
This is not the first time Thompson, from Cardiff, had disguised himself to sneak into properties.
The burglar had previously carried a tin of paint and pretended to be a decorator to trick his way into student flats.
Thompson was arrested in November 2023 on suspicion of 11 burglaries.
While he was on remand awaiting trial, detectives continued to investigate other similar incidents.
Police re-interviewed him and the career burglar admitted a further 69 burglaries in Cardiff and Penarth between July 2023 to January 2024.
He later pleaded guilty at Cardiff Crown Court and on May 9, 2024, he was sentenced to seven years and one month imprisonment for assault, coercive and controlling behaviour and 10 residential burglaries.
The further 69 residential burglaries were taken into consideration.
Speaking after the sentence Detective Sergeant Andrew Coakley said: ‘Phillip Thompson used different tactics to gain access to properties.
‘As well as sometimes forcing entry and taking advantage of an open door or window, he also turned up at student hall of residence with a paint pot claiming to be a decorator and acquired a Just Eat bag pretending to deliver food.
‘Unfortunately for him, he was caught on CCTV and from those images we identified him using Retrospective Facial Recognition.
‘We treat burglaries extremely seriously and will use all available technology to bring offenders to justice.
‘We hope that the outcome of this investigation will bring some comfort to the victims and reassure the wider community of our commitment to investigating burglaries.’