When was the last time you made a meaningful connection through Facebook's "People you may know" feature?
You know the one: a list of bods usually including your mate's mate you chatted football with at a barbecue in 2009, a girl who never replied to your text for a second date and that armed robber who took your car.
No, really - one Omar Famuyide has just been jailed after one of his victims recognised him on Facebook's earnest friend finder.
The 21-year-old had stolen the victim's car at knifepoint - just one of a string of violent robberies he was accused of, including an armed break-in at an 'adult entertainment' venue known as Ambassador's Relaxation Suite.
Following a further carjacking at gunpoint, police were apparently no closer to naming the man behind the string of robberies. It was by total coincidence that the victim of the knifepoint robbery logged onto Facebook one day to be presented with the attacker's face in the "People you may know" list. He contacted the police with the man's details, and they were able to make the arrest.
"Old fashioned detective work got us most of the way and we were able to build enough evidence to link all of the different items and offences, but we still didn’t have a name," said Detective Constable Rhiannon Daff from West Midlands Police. "It was a crucial part of the investigation when one of the victims got in touch after recognising Famuyide on Facebook and was the final piece of the jigsaw that we were looking for."
So, if you're planning on going on a spate of armed robberies, be sure to delete your Facebook profile first. That's the lesson we're supposed to take from this, right?
Or just don't break the law. Probably that.
[Via: BBC]
