Catch me if you can! Criminal taunted police on Facebook... and just 12 hours later they did



Sam Greenwood, 19, from Rochdale, breached his licence conditions

He was convicted of driving while disqualified and without insurance

Greenwood wrote taunts on Facebook page of GMP Rochdale North



Wanted criminal Sam Greenwood taunted police by writing 'Catch me if you can' on Rochdale police's Facebook page - only to be caught hours later

When police put an appeal for a wanted teenager on Facebook, they were hoping for tip-offs from the public.



They probably didn’t expect the criminal himself to reply, saying: ‘Catch me if you can.’



But the officers had the last laugh when they arrested Sam Greenwood just 12 hours later...and added their own riposte: ‘Caught you. Do not pass Go, do not collect £200, go straight to jail.’



Police wanted Greenwood, 19, for breaching the terms of his release after he was locked up earlier this year for driving while disqualified and with no insurance.



Officers from Greater Manchester Police put out an appeal on the official GMP Rochdale North Facebook page, alongside Greenwood’s photograph.



The next day Greenwood wrote underneath: ‘Catch me if you can.’ Police urged him to hand himself in, posting: ‘You are a talented young man. Don’t waste your life away. So many people are willing to help you – but you’ve got to start helping yourself.’



Greenwood failed to heed their advice, but was spotted by officers out on patrol and placed back behind bars.



They then returned to Facebook to respond a second time: ‘Caught you. Do not pass Go, do not collect £200, go straight to jail.’



Inspector Umer Khan of Rochdale North said: ‘Unfortunately this man was always going to be a hostage to fortune once he decided to goad us on Facebook. I tried my best to coax him into handing himself in, but he seemed determined to remain at large.

‘Thankfully, we managed to track him down in no time at all and he is now back where he belongs for the time being – behind bars.’ Greenwood, from Rochdale, was sentenced to four months in a Young Offenders’ Institute in January after his driving conviction. He was freed on licence last month, but failed to attend mandatory appointments at Rochdale Probation Service.



Caught you: The GMP Rochdale North page showed 59 people 'liked' Greenwood's 'Catch me if u can' comment

He is not the first criminal to regret his Facebook use. In March, thief Anthony Swinburn, 28, was caught days after he mocked up his own wanted poster and posted it on the social networking site. He was subsequently jailed for 16 months.



Last year Michael Ruse, 21, was forced to change his plea to guilty after he posted a comment telling a friend he was ‘going to get away with it’ during his trial for assault. Judge Ian Pearson, sitting at Portsmouth Crown Court, told him: ‘You were stupid enough to put on Facebook what amounted to a full confession. Your stupidity really is not much mitigation.’

