Peterborough footballer tracks down thief who stole bank cards before pinning him to the ground ahead of police arrival

Kenny Wheatland hunted down Kevin Shakespeare last Wednesday evening after he discovered his wallet had been stolen from his car.

Kenny (26) was able to track Shakespeare when he made purchases with his American Express card which automatically sends alerts to his phone.

The trail of spending eventually sent Kenny to Lincoln Road in Millfield where he spotted the thief and a friend.

Remarkably, the Netherton United footballer barged the friend into the a shop shutter before chasing down Shakespeare who dodged moving cars while trying to flee.

Fortunately, Kenny was able to catch up with Shakespeare on a path and knock him to ground, with all of his cards then falling out. He then pinned the thief down before police arrived and arrested him.

Shakespeare (44) of no fixed above pleaded guilty to theft from a motor vehicle and fraud by false representation at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court last Friday.

Eight other offences have also been taken into consideration.

He is due to be sentenced on September 9.

Reflecting on the events which unfolded over a crazy 45 minutes, Kenny said: “It’s one of the most interesting things that’s ever happened to me.”

It was at around 7pm last Wednesday at a friend’s house in Paston that Kenny was told that his car window had been broken.

Kenny went outside and saw the damage before remembering that he had left his wallet in the vehicle.

He said: “I looked at my phone and had a notification that my card had been used at the One Stop in Walton.

“The notification came through four minutes ago so I knew he was close. We went in the car of my friend’s girlfriend to the One Stop. I went in and said ‘has anyone tried to use a silver credit card?’

“They said ‘yes’ and that he looked dodgy and tried to top up his phone but they wouldn’t let him. He was said to be wearing a chequered shirt with a white t-shirt underneath.

“While we were driving along I started freezing my cards. I looked at the purchases he was making and one was at Alexandra Trading on Lincoln Road. As we were driving there was another transaction which was Millfield Off Licence which was down the road. I saw a bike outside. I jumped out and went into the shop to see if I could find him.

“I then went outside and saw a white male, who was kind of fat, wearing a white hoodie and on a bike. Then the male with a chequered shirt came towards him from across the road. He had just been from a little supermarket.”

Kenny challenged the pair about his wallet, which is when the man on the bike sped off.

However, Kenny was able to shove him into the shutters of a closed protein shop, knocking him off the bike. He could see a Morrisons bag and other bags full of alcohol which tallied with the purchases which had been made on his card.

The man told Kenny he could search him, which is when he spotted Shakespeare making a run for it.

Kenny recalled: “He was legging it and starts dancing between cars on the road so I could not get to him. I stopped so the cars could go.

“He ran across onto a path. I chased him and shoulder barged him and my cards fell out of his pocket. They’d already chucked my wallet. Every single card fell out. Even my Nectar card and Nando’s card.

“I pinned him down and my mate’s girlfriend called the police. We waited for them to come. They were there in 15 to 20 minutes.”

Kenny said Shakespeare, who was wearing a blue face mask, tried to threaten him, before becoming apologetic.

He decided to let go of him before the police arrived as “he was not going to run away,” although the man on the bike did escape.

Reflecting on the episode, Kenny said: “I didn’t think too much as I was going through the whole thing. I was so devastated thinking ‘I shouldn’t have left my wallet in my car, I’ll have to get new ID’.

“Looking back I realise it may have been a dangerous thing to do. I’d probably put a lot more thought into it next time. It could have been more dangerous then it was.”