Geek In Me

by Evan Shamoon via switched.com

In what can only be seen as a triumph for stuffed animals everywhere, a teddy bear was used as a spying device — specifically, a teddy bear with a small video camera positioned inside one of its eyes — and was used to catch a caretaker criminal in Liverpool, England. The plan was put into action by a forensic science graduate (no coincidence there) and her father, who caught his mother’s caretaker stealing from her. Who, it should be noted, was terminally ill with cancer.

The thief, 28 year-old Yvonne Allen, was sentenced to six months in prison.

“We can confirm that a former health care assistant, employed by the Provider arm of Liverpool Primary Care Trust has been arrested and convicted of stealing from a patient,” said Bernie Cuthel, managing director of Liverpool PCT Provider Services. “Following information from the courts that the employee involved was pleading guilty to all charges, an internal disciplinary hearing was held and this person is no longer employed by Liverpool PCT.”

Having marked the bills in her grandmother’s wallet and installed the consumer-grade camera in the teddy’s head, the daughter made sure the evidence was incontrovertible. The convicted has agreed to pay £60 — or roughly $120 — compensation to her victim. Which, to be honest, doesn’t really seem like all that much.