Detective dad: Father, 38, tracked down fraudster who used his bank card and chased him for 600 yards through town centre to make citizen’s arrest after police showed no interest in cracking the case
- Scott Dunster found that his wife’s purse and joint card was stolen on New Years
- The 38-year-old from Eastbourne searched for the criminal himself when police did not take immediate action
- He chased the criminal down after he was identified through social media
- Following his arrest, Joseph Khas pleaded guilty to fraud
A father tracked down a fraudster who used his bank card and chased him for 600 years through a town centre to make citizen’s arrest after police showed no interest in cracking his case.
Scott Dunster, 38, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, took matters into his own hands after his car was broken into outside his home and his wife’s purse along with their joint account card was stolen.
Following the New Year’s Eve disaster, he discovered that £60 had been spent in an off-license store, so he went down and got hold of CCTV footage of the thief using his card.
Mr Dunster took the images to the police in hopes of getting the problem resolved, however, when no immediate action was made he took it upon himself to post them on Facebook.
Father, Scott Dunster, 38, took matters into his own hands when police failed to take immediate action after his bank card was stolen on New Year’s Eve
The criminal was soon identified by local social media users as Joseph Khas, 27.
The dad-of-three was alerted by a friend who had spotted Khas on Monday afternoon, and after failing to get through to the police on 101, he confronted the crook himself.
Mr Dunster chased the crook for 600 yards through the local town centre, tackled him and pinned him to the ground with the help of security stewards.
Joseph Khas pleaded guilty to fraud after facing Brighton magistrates.
Mr Dunster posted CCTV footage of the thief on social media in hopes of identifying him
Khas was bailed to be sentenced on February 2 – there was no evidence to charge anyone with stealing the purse which eventually was recovered.
Speaking to The Sun, recruitment consultant, Mr Dunster, said: ‘I risked my life confronting him. He could have been armed with a weapon.
The criminal, idenditfied as Joseph Khas, was chased through a town centre where a citizens arrest was then made
‘But I was so angry at the lack of action from the police that I decided to do something.’
He described the ordeal as ‘two nights of hell’ and was frustrated by the lack of action by Sussex Police.
Former Met detective chief inspector Mick Neville added: ‘Once again, we see a victim of crime left to investigate.’
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