A copper thief who staged his own kidnap in the plant room of a block flats in Plumstead has been jailed for two years.

Barry Baker, 36, of no fixed address, was found guilty of two burglaries and handling stolen goods following the theft of copper cabling worth £1,000 from an underground car park in Brook Square in September last year.

Woolwich Crown Court heard how police were called to a block of flats in Blendon Terrace at about 2.15am on October 16 after reports of noise coming from the plant room.

Baker was found with his wrists tied up with plastic cables.

He claimed he had been taken to the plant room by a man called ‘Ginger Gerry’ who hit him over the head with a spanner and tied him up because Baker owed him money.

However, next to where Baker was allegedly being kept against his will, police found tools, torches, a rucksack, gloves, a bicycle and a high-visibility jacket.

Baker denied these were his but CCTV images from the scene showed him arriving at the flats by bike on his own just before midnight with a blue rucksack and wearing a high-vis jacket.

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He was arrested and charged, but continued to deny the offences.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Ian Waller, from the Greenwich burglary and robbery squad, said: "Baker is a recidivist, prolific burglar who thought he had come up with an elaborate plan to appear to be the victim of a crime, rather than the perpetrator.

“I am satisfied with the result of our investigation. We will continue to pursue anyone committing burglaries across the borough."