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NORTH-WEST EVENING MAIL, March 30, 1999 'Thief' nabbed by internet Man repairing CCTV seen 10,000 miles away. Coniston electrician John Barlow had the shock of his life when an eagle-eyed American put him in the frame for stealing a CCTV camera. John was re-siting and waterproofing the camera at the Miller Howe Hotel where it beams pictures of Windermere onto the internet. Web surfers across the world were treated to a close up of John, 55, screwing his face as he wrestled with the job. And in Los Angeles an office worker named Beth spotted the scene and thought she was witnessing someone trying to steal the camera. She e-mailed the Miller Howe to alert them to the activities of the "thief". A member of staff read Beth's e-mail and quickly realised the mistake. John said: "I was just wiring up the camera and it caught a picture of my face. I suppose it looked like I was trying to pinch it because I was up the ladder shaking it about. "I was not a pretty sight. My face was all screwed up and I was swearing like a trooper. "It's absolutely amazing that someone watching her computer 10,000 miles away could see me flapping about here." The hotel , noted for the stunning view of Windermere from its restaurant, is promoting itself with a Web site. The camera is erected on a wall outside the hotel restaurant and wired up to beam a picture of it into the net. A Miller Howe Hotel spokesperson said: "It didn't take long for us to realise what was going on but it's great to know people are keeping an eye out for us. "We were left a bit red-faced but John did look quite shady in the pictures." "We e-mailed Beth back to thank her for alerting us."
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