A LOCAL man has had his gnome-napping antics ended by an alert policeman.

In the early hours of the morning the cheeky thief roamed the streets, taking his pick of the best that local gardens had to offer.

However, Graham Hutchinson's mini-crime wave ended when a policeman spotted him at 5am with an ominous bulge under his coat. When he was ordered to reveal what he was carrying, a recently acquired garden gnome was found.

A Bury court heard how officers then carried out a search of the unemployed man's bedsit in Bury Old Road, Prestwich, and discovered more of the missing little people.

Two gnomes had been stashed on top of a wardrobe while a third was kept secure in a bedside cabinet.

Hutchinson pleaded guilty to three charges of stealing garden gnomes belonging to persons unknown.

The only clue that Hutchinson could give about where the pot figure had come from was that he had stolen it from near the local Spar shop. When later questioned by police about the thefts, he admitted he had taken the gnomes simply to make money.

Mr Stanley Sumara, defending, said: "The only reason the gnomes were stolen was to sell them for a few pounds. My client had no money and he intended to eventually take the gnomes to a car boot sale."

Hutchinson, described as a loner with few friends, was given a conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered to pay £30 costs.

Sadly though, the case doesn't have a happy ending. Although one of the pint-sized characters was re-united with its owners, the others have yet to make their way back to their garden homes.

In the meantime they are being forced to reside with local police in what has been described as a kind of "gnome-man's land".

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