LONDON – A thief was caught not so much red-handed as green-faced in London after breaking into a car in that sprayed him with a liquid that glows emerald under ultraviolet light.

Yafet Askale, 28, denied entering the vehicle that police set up with a dye-trap in Harlesden, northwest London, to catch thieves in June.

But he was found guilty of stealing objects inside the car after police produced photos showing his face covered with the liquid, invisible under normal light.

Askale, from Harlesden, was sentenced to 49 hours of community service and ordered to pay 400 pounds ($650) costs on Friday. Police released photos of Askale on Monday, warning they had set up similar traps in the area in cars and houses.