A cocky crook who left police red-faced after he posted a Wild West-style wanted poster of himself on Facebook while he was on the run was today arrested.
Anthony Swinburn, 28, had taunted officers who were hunting him by boasting about having snowball fights, boozing, watching Sky TV and enjoying hot chicken dinners.
Swinburn, from Coventry, even posted pictures of himself at home, lounging on a train with a woman and downing a can of Strongbow cider in a garden.
Swinburn went on the run after he failed to turn up at Warwick Crown Court on November 9 last year to answer theft and common assault charges.
But this afternoon, police confirmed Swinburn had been arrested at a property in Purcell Road, Coventry, following a tip-off.
One local neighbourhood police team even took to a social network site themselves to give the crook a taste of his own medicine.
On their Twitter page, Longford Police, who represent an area of Coventry, posted: “Man who posted his own wanted poster online is now in custody.
“His wish was our command!”
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After being named on the West Midlands Police most wanted list, brazen Swinburn mocked up his own ‘Wanted’ poster.
It featured a grinning picture of himself wearing a blue baseball cap and sporting a tattoo on his throat.
Underneath the poster, he wrote a string of appallingly written posts, bragging about his carefree lifestyle.
On January 20, Swinburn wrote on his profile: “Since I’ve bin off the sesh I’ve bin eatin like a monster munch and I feel so much betta 4 a change.
“No p*ssed up rowz wiv my chick and we are finaly gettin our act 2getha at last. Fu* these old nick-namez u used 2 call me!! Herez my new name.. Skinny pig.. Haha.”
Two days earlier he wrote: “As soon as my chick getz outside she is gettin snow-balled straight in the head cuz I’m romantic like that. Haha.”
On January 13, Swinburn posted: “Aint seen snow 4 a while so I’ve woke the household up, put the xdmas tree bk up and dancin around like a big kid with my poor lil tierd princess who has had jus about enuff ov my energetic burstz ov energy at silly o’clock in the morninz.
“Lol. Jus 2 top her off, eminem is goin on full blast cuz I’m a coolio like that.”
On January 14 he wrote: “Chicken stew and dumplinz wiv princess stacey and then chill-time 2 watch abit ov t.v.”
On January 23, Swinburn boasted about spending his time on the run gambling and watching Sky TV with “every channel.”
He wrote: “Gotta few betz on the footy 2nite and I’m aloud 2 have a drink ov the good old stuff they call wrong-bow cuz my chick is havin a few spliffz which she knowz I can’t stand but hey!!
“I aint complaining so let me jus get 2 the fridge b4 she changes her wackey backey mind. Haha.”
In another message, he wrote: “Well then. Letz see how good this steak, onion ringz chicken wingz and french fries is after my chick has made it bare in mind she has had a couple ov spliffz and lookz like a chineese chick. Lol.”
Swinburn’s profile, which says he went to Barr’s Hill Community School in Coventry, jokingly states he works as ‘mr lover man’ at Stringfellows nightclub in London.
He also says his favourite quote is: “Strap it up before u slap it up” and states he has been in a relationship with Stacey-Leigh Williams since April 29, 2012.
A spokesman for West Midlands Police said yesterday: “He was arrested at a property on Purcell Road in Coventry.
“He will go back to court for a failure to appear so will be at Magistrates Court tomorrow (Sat).”
Swinburn – whose crime number is 170/12/CV – was one of 103 people on West Midlands Police’s ‘Most Wanted’ list before his arrest yesterday.
