On-the-run criminal who boasted on Facebook is jailed
An on-the-run criminal who mocked police by making his own 'wanted' poster on Facebook has been jailed for 16 months – after the Express & Star highlighted his brazen actions.
Anthony Swinburn put the fake wanted poster on his profile as a joke and in one message while at large, wrote about his dismay at the recent snowy weather while in another, he described how he was about to tuck into a steak, onion rings, chicken wings and fries.
The 28-year-old had been on the run for nine months after absconding from court while awaiting sentencing for common assault and theft.
But he was back in court after being arrested last month – a day after he had boasted on the social networking site about being wanted by police.
In one of his messages to his friends online, he described how he was about to have Sky TV "with every channel" fitted at his home and that he would be needing some popcorn cause he was not going to be moving for a while.
West Midlands Police investigated the information passed to them by the Express & Star.
Swinburn, from Coventry, was at Warwick Crown Court last November waiting to be sentenced for stealing beer from Tesco when he decided to go on the run. He was subject of an eight-month suspended sentence for aggravated vehicle taking and theft when he committed an offence of harassment. He pleaded not guilty to two new charges of racially aggravated common assault, but guilty to racially aggravated harassment, when back in the dock this week.
