Staffordshire Police e-fit 'looks like E.T.'

Mistaken Ident-E.T.? One user asked if the thief's getaway vehicle had been a "BMX with a basket on the front"

A police e-fit of a burglary suspect has been mocked for its likeness to movie alien E.T.

Staffordshire Police published the mock-up of a "very skinny" suspect with wide eyes and a long neck, expecting the public's response to be good.

But its effort was widely derided, with one social media user asking if the thief's getaway vehicle had been a "BMX with a basket on the front".

The force said it hoped the "valid appeal" would yield useful information.

Its Facebook page was deluged with hundreds of comments noting the resemblance to Steven Spielberg's 1982 creation.

'Phone home'

One user wrote: "Don't think E.T. is going to phone the police."

While another added: "Someone find this woman urgently. She needs to phone home."

And a further comment read: "If I see her I won't be calling Staffordshire Police, I'll be calling Mulder and Scully."

Other users compared the image to Coronation Street's beleaguered Gail Platt and Harry Potter villain Lord Voldemort.

In reply to the comments, police said: "Thank you for all the interest and shares, we can confirm E.T. was at home and no fictional soap characters are potential suspects."

The alien was the star of the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, released in 1982

The force is seeking information about four people who forced entry to a home on Richard Cooper Road in Shenstone, Lichfield, just before 21:00 GMT on 3 January.

Cash and electronic equipment were taken before the offenders fled the scene in an Audi.

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The force described the suspect as a very skinny woman in her mid-30s with light blonde hair.

It said she spoke with a Birmingham accent and was wearing a green knitted top and pale leggings.