Fish thief given community service

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/jan/11/man-steals-aquarium-fish-competition

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A man who stole a huge bass from an aquarium and then used it to win a fishing competition has been given 100 hours of community work and been put on probation.

Matthew Andrew Clark, 29, stole the bass, weighing 6kg, from the Guernsey Aquarium at St Peter Port, where the fish had lived for more than 15 years. He then entered it into the Bailiwick Bass Club open competition, pretending he had caught it in an arduous sea fishing contest.

He won the first prize of £800, proudly posing for photos with his winning "catch". A fellow competitor recognised the fish from a recent trip to the aquarium and alerted staff, who realised the bass was missing and informed the police. Clark, of St Sampson, initially denied stealing the fish, but later admitted burglary and fraud.