Flintshire cat burglar caught red handed after crime spree

A prolific cat burglar has been caught red handed after stealing anything she can get her paws on.

Feline thief Gingee, a four-year-old Maine Coon, has been ransacking nearby homes in Buckley, Flintshire.

The most startling moment for owners Jay Phoenix, 43 and Mathew Westlake-Toms, 31, was when Gingee delivered a stolen knife to their bedroom at night.

"The list so far is: a child's spade from the sandpit, a pair of goggles and - for some reason - a sieve," said Jay.

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Jay said the crime spree began a few months ago when he and Matthew noticed scissors and sticky tape going missing while they were wrapping gifts.

But not content with treasure from her own home, Gingee soon began targeting the neighbours.

Jay and Matthew have said they've been unable to find the owners of the stolen goods

"We found football cones for training. She's coming through the cat flap all the time - the cones were quite flexible even though there were really big and some of the footage you can see is just ridiculous," said Jay.

"You don't think it would ever fit. I'm surprised she fits because she's quite a big cat."

The criminal activity has led to Jay has fitting a night vision camera in the kitchen, which caught Gingee delivering a deadly weapon to the bedroom.

"I heard a tapping on the door that sounded strange - like a human or something solid. I thought nothing of it and went back to sleep," said Jay.

Owner Jay said he was amazed by Gingee's thefts

"My partner woke up around 8am, opened the door and it was like something from a horror scene, she was lying on the floor with a knife in front of her. I was absolutely amazed," Jay said.

"Matt got straight on the phone looking through all the footage until he got to about 3am then saw her just casually strolling in like a pirate with a knife in her mouth and walking through the kitchen. Absolutely unbelievable."

Jay and Mat have appealed on community social media sites for owners to claim their stolen booty but so far not much has been retrieved leaving a growing pile of illicit property at their home.

Gingee is not in the doghouse, though, and she's even become a viral sensation with thousands of followers and millions of views on Instagram and TikTok.