‘Gingerbread man’ jailed after nine-week crime spree

A man who went on a nine-week crime spree and taunted police with the famous gingerbread man rhyme has jailed.

Guiseppe Depaulo first came to the attention of officers on March 9 when he was seen on CCTV stealing front and rear number plates from a car.

Later that same month the 34-year-old was spotted removing number plates from another car.

He then used them on his own car to fill up with £120 of petrol at Tesco, in Wisbech, and fled without paying.

The stolen number plates were used again the same day by Depaulo on a different car when he filled up with £125 of petrol.

Two days later, at Tesco in Wisbech, Depaulo drove his partner’s car while disqualified.

He was seen on CCTV brazenly walking out on three separate occasions without paying for goods worth £800, including a 40-inch TV, sound system and two hoovers.

Guiseppe Depaulo jailed (Image: Cambs Police)

Depaulo stole a further set of car number plates from an Audi A3 which were later used for numerous making off without payment incidents before being found in a hire car.

Depaulo was confronted by the manager of Tesco on April 14 who spotted his car in the car park and called police.

The manager saw him trying to leave but Depaulo immediately became abusive and drove away.

Five days later Depaulo spat at a driver in a road rage incident, and three days after this he was arrested for drink driving following a collision in Oxney Road, Peterborough.

He was taken to Thorpe Wood Police Station but was verbally abusive, refused to cooperate and declined to give a specimen of breath for analysis.

Following his release from custody he called police and told them: “You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man”.

Later that month Depaulo argued with a taxi driver about the fare before kicking the vehicle’s rear wing mirror and damaging it.

Depaulo, of Fundrey Road, Wisbech, was charged with 14 offences including three counts of theft, attempted theft, criminal damage, common assault and possession of class A drugs.

He was jailed for two years at Cambridge Crown Court on August 17.