A BURGLAR who was caught after his distinctive swagger was captured on CCTV has been jailed for two years.
John Gibson Rigg, 36, was filmed by CCTV cameras carrying a laptop computer and plasma TV stolen from a house in Whittam Road, Whalley.
Bolton Crown Court heard how police found Rigg's DNA on a screwdriver dropped outside the property during the burglary on January 24, 2007, and arrested him.
And while he was in custody, officers noticed he had a distinctive walk, similar to that of a man pictured in the CCTV recovered from near the scene.
Police enlisted the help of podiatrist Ian Linane, who specialises in gait analysis and posture assessment, and who confirmed there were significant similarities.
And yesterday Rigg, of Rawcliffe Avenue, Bolton, was sentenced to two years after he admitted the burglary.
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Judge Brian Carter QC also sentenced him to six months after he admitted a house burglary in Bolton in 1998, and a two-year custodial sentence after he admitted his involvement in the burglary of a pub in Stoneclough, Greater Manch-ester, on January 23, both to run concurrently.
After the case, Mr Linane said: "The analysis consists of close inspection of the movement, posture and gait of the unknown individual with footage of a known suspect, and a comparison between the two being made. Such comparisons of gait, posture and movement have been used since the year 2000 in both low and high-profile cases.
GOTCHA: An expert analysed John Rigg's gait
"This type of approach can be valuable in a number of ways in that it is not always hindered by types of clothing worn, or even disguises.
"It has been used to eliminate, as well as implicate individuals.
"There have been several cases of suspects admitting their guilt based on the visual evidence presented to them and, as such, it can save considerably on court costs."
DC Mark Cruise said: "I hope this sends out a strong message that even criminals who conceal their faces can still be identified due to this relatively new type of forensic analysis.
"Police treat offences such as burglary extremely seriously and will carry out a robust and thorough investigation in order to identify criminals and ensure that they are brought to justice."
The court heard how Rigg had broken into the Whalley house while the residents slept upstairs and stole items valued at £5,000.
The owner of the property, Paul Gilbraith, watched the footage from a camera owned by a nearby commercial property and identified his laptop being carried by Rigg.
He informed police, who then compared the CCTV footage with a video of Rigg being interviewed in custody where officers had noticed Rigg's unusual gait.
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