s is the moment a bungling burglar tried to break into a house, completely unaware his every move was being captured on a CCTV camera positioned just inches away from his face.

Dopey Jake Smith, 24, can be seen in the footage trying to force open the bathroom window of a property in Wednesfield, in the West Midlands.

The hopeless crook flashes his face to camera, which is trained on a garden gazebo, several times before fleeing empty handed after he is disturbed by a neighbour.

In the 25-second clip, Smith, who is wearing gloves to avoid leaving finger prints, approaches the window and attempts to wrestle it open.

After being disturbed by a neighbour of his intended victim, he can be seen running from the property.

Smith, from Wolverhampton, West Mids., was tracked down after police released the footage of the incident and received dozens of calls from people who recognised him.

He was arrested on June 13 and jailed last Friday for 21 months after pleading guilty to attempted burglary at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

After the hearing, Pc Mick Walley, from West Midlands Police, said: ‘We were sure that someone in the community would know the man if we released the footage which was extremely good quality.

‘Within a day of releasing the images we received enough information to be able to arrest Smith.

‘We would like to take this opportunity to thank the local media and members of the public who helped us put this burglar behind bars.’

– Daily Mail