Stephen Taylor was caught red-handed when his fingerprints matched his watches photo

Stephen Taylor, 29, took the photo on his mobile phone, hoping it would help him sell the watches, worth £4,000.

But intelligence led police to quiz Taylor. They seized his phone and experts were able to compare enhanced pictures on the phone with his fingerprint records from previous crimes.

It took them less than an hour to spot tell-tale ridges on his fingers and palm and secure a perfect match.

Yesterday, at Manchester Crown Court, Taylor pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods. He was jailed for 10 months. Judge Andrew Lowcock told him: “You were caught largely because of the ingenuity of the investigating police officers.”

The items had been stolen during a violent robbery at a house in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, where a student house-sitter was punched in the face and £10,000 in valuables were taken.