999? Just go online!

As the old saying goes, it's a small world, and the internet seems to be bringing people even closer together. There was no greater evidence of this than recent events in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

When car enthusiast Shaun Ironside reported his beloved Nissan Skyliner stolen on the beyond.ca* forum, little did he know that he was embarking on a swift chain of events that would see justice run its course in the most public way possible.

Within hours, another of the forum's users had, incredibly, spotted the car, and managed to photograph the suspected thief red-handed at the wheel!

Shortly afterwards, another of the site's super sleuths had also spotted the car being driven around the city, and went as far as to follow the driver home. That's where the ball really started rolling on the trial by internet. Soon enough, the hi-tech good Samaritans had located the suspect's home on Google maps, and used the address details to locate his Facebook profile, wherein they discovered his name, as well as his workplace details. 

They didn't stop there though - overnight, a number of the forum's members met up, travelled to the alleged thief's home, and parked their cars surrounding the house, ensuring that escape was impossible until the arrival of the police.

And when the police arrived and made the arrest? Well, it was filmed and placed... where else?... on YouTube*!

So, if you're ever a victim of crime, remember that a few minutes on your PC could be just as effective as dialling 999! Until next time, don't have nightmares... 

*Heart is not responsible for the content of third party websites.