A gay criminal was caught by police because of his 'distinctive' mincing walk, a court heard yesterday.
Lance Williams - dubbed 'the only gay in the village' after Daffyd from the BBC's Little Britain comedy series - was recognised on CCTV footage from his 'camp' gait.
Williams, 19, was one of three men who broke into a house in his Welsh valleys village to steal £400 at knifepoint.
All three burglars were filmed on CCTV as they left the scene. But only Williams was caught because his victim recognised him from the way he walks. Cardiff Crown Court heard that Williams was well known because of his gay lifestyle in Rhymney, near Merthyr Tydfil, which has a population of just 5,700.
He tried to disguise his identity by hiding his face with a scarf and putting on a deep voice when he broke into the house of Nigel Jones in the village.
Michael Hammett, prosecuting, said: 'After the crime Mr Jones was shown CCTV footage and recognised Williams. He knew him as a local youth who had a distinctive walk.' Williams's lawyer Eugene Egan said Williams' behaviour was a 'reaction to being teased about his sexuality'.
He added: 'He is an openly gay man and quite camp. The local youths all know what he is like and they tease him mercilessly.'
The court heard that 42-year-old Mr Jones was forced face down on to a sofa and stabbed in the back. He avoided serious injuries only because he was wearing thick clothing.
Factory worker Williams admitted aggravated burglary and was jailed for five years. After the case, a neighbour said: 'Lance is well known around here. Everyone calls him the only gay in the village. But people were shocked when he was arrested - everyone thought he was harmless.'
Mr Jones said yesterday: 'It was a terrifying experience. He used a knife and hurt me in my back. He then grabbed my savings and ran out of my back door which they had kicked in.'
Police showed him CCTV footage of three men walking through a nearby industrial estate minutes after the break-in. He added: 'You could tell immediately from his walk that it was him. He was sort of swishing.'
3 comments:
That's pretty good. If you could make that old song "Walk like a man" play on this post it would be even funnier! Truth is stranger than fiction.
Hahaha it probably would if I could find a decent audio player... Thanks for the visit Texlahoma
hey tex...welcome to dom's world...
and what is funny is that song walk like a man is sung in such a falsetto that it sounds like a woman..hehe
Post a Comment