A short-sighted jewel thief was caught after leaving his glasses behind at the scene of the crime.
Christopher Henry, 51, was sentenced to two and a half years in jail for stealing gold rings worth £5,000, after cops took DNA from the spectacles found by his victims.
Henry was arrested four months after the theft - and crashed his car as he tried to flee cops.
Henry, of no fixed address, broke into a house in Wickham Road, Shirley, Croydon, Surrey, on March 23 while the family who lived there were out for a walk.
They returned while Henry was still in the house and were alerted by squeaking upstairs floorboard.
A family member checked the bedroom and found Henry lying on a bedroom floor trying to hide.
He fled, despite the family's attempt to stop him, with £80 in cash and four gold rings worth £5,000.
Police called to the house found a pair of glasses that did not belong to the family and DNA tests established they were Henry's.
Officers were unable to trace him until July 25, when officers tried to stop his car in Ecclesbourne Road, Thorton Heath.
He tried to drive away but crashed into another, enabling police to arrest him.
He was charged with burglary and failing to provide a sample for drug test and pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey on Tuesday (25 Nov), when he was jailed for two years and six months.
Detective Constable Billy Clough, of Croydon police,: “Henry was caught by his victims and left his glasses at the scene which helped us to establish his identity. He is a recidivist burglar and I am satisfied with the results of our investigation”.