The implications of being caught on CCTV in this day and age are far reaching. One bad decision once caught on camera can come back to haunt us for the rest of our lives. As we are living in an age of social media an image or video footage can go viral, immortalising the person on it and in some circumstances; whatever it was they were doing. More often than not this is something funny or devious.
Getting caught committing a crime on CCTV is something that deters most criminals but not all of them. Not only did some unlucky few get found out and identified, but the footage became so notorious that it made its way onto the internet and got shared all over the world. Being caught and prosecuted used to be the worst thing that could happen to a criminal caught on camera, but now there is always the added risk that everybody they have ever met will see what they did.
Video Evidence Lasts a Long Time
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Imagine the shame involved should this happen. Your parents, spouse, friends, work colleagues, everyone you went to school with all knowing what you did and judging you for it. The embarrassment alone is a life sentence. Being caught on CCTV doing something you shouldn’t be doing can effectively turn you into a meme overnight, and memes can take a very long time to disappear.
David Schwimmer Lookalike Caught on CCTV Stealing Beer
Take for example a petty criminal in Blackpool recently. The man in question was reported as having stolen several items from businesses and individuals before being caught on camera sometime later. The criminal was caught clutching box of beer as he stared directly into a shops CCTV camera. The image soon went viral and was posted all over social media by the authorities who naturally wanted to question him so that those who recognised him would come forward and expose him.
The authorities themselves however were quick to notice that the man bore a striking resemblance to Friends actor David Schwimmer and even referred to him online as a ‘Ross Geller lookalike’. People who found it humorous shared this label attached to the image thousands of times. It soon caught the attention of David Schwimmer himself who found it hilarious. Schwimmer then decided to go to his local supermarket with a video camera and record footage of himself getting caught pretending to steal beer on camera, making a mockery of the thief himself. Finally the Friends star posted a message to the police of Blackpool, jokingly assuring them that he is not the man they seek and wishing them all the best with their inquiries.
Surely by now all of this has been seen by the real thief and his family. It’s also looking increasingly likely that he has been identified and certainly got more than he bargained for when he made the decision to steal. All this just goes to show how far an image or footage can reach in such a short space of time, and how getting caught on camera these days is far more risky than it used to be. Where the story is admittedly funny, it will likely have ramifications for the accused for a very long time.
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