Armed robber snared because he looked like Cat from BBC comedy Red Dwarf
AN armed robber was left cursing his luck after he was caught because a security guard likened him to the character "Cat" from hit BBC comedy Red Dwarf.
Police were able to track down distinctive Usman Ali because of his uncanny resemblance to the fashion-conscious feline, a court heard.
Members of the jury were even shown a picture of the comic character to show how he was identified by a passer-by.
Hapless Ali had threatened a security van driver with a hammer outside a Wickes hardware store, making off with a cash box containing £14,000.
However, the next day staff at a Ladbrokes betting shop became suspicious when they saw the 26-year-old ploughing hundreds of pounds into gaming machines, including notes stained with dye.
Staff at the bookies later discovered £480 worth of dye-stained notes in the machine he had been using, with another £400 being seized by the officers who arrested him.
Ali, from Small Heath, Birmingham, claimed he got the money after selling car parts but could not name the buyer or provide a contact number.
He was jailed for eight years after being found guilty of conspiracy to rob at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday.
The Cat - who appeared throughout the legendary budget comedy which ran on and off between 1998 and 2012 - was a narcissistic human-feline hybrid obsessed with his own good looks and clothes.
Actor Danny John-Jules, who played the character, revealed that his voice and demeanour were based on the soul artists Little Richard and James Brown.
Speaking after the case, Detective Constable Andrew Mitcham, of West Midlands Police, said: "Ali was at the bookies with the sole purpose of getting rid of the dye-stained notes and taking his winnings receipt to the counter to get clean notes. It was effectively quick-fire money laundering.
"The victim gave us a distinctive description and said his attacker looked like 'Cat' from Red Dwarf and in court prosecutors presented an image of the character to the jury to illustrate the comparison.
"The prosecutor clearly had a sense of humour as in his closing speech he said 'Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, the robbery at Wickes has his (pointing at Ali') name on it' in a clear reference to the company's advertising slogan.
"Ali has rightly been handed a long prison term: although he didn't use the hammer in anger, he threatened violence against the security driver and left him fearing the threats would be carried out.
"We were able to present strong evidence to the court which highlighted his lies to police and led to the jury unanimously finding him guilty."
