Ex-British soldier on run found hiding in woods
Fifty-one-year-old had been convicted of about 40 thefts in January
A former British soldier wanted in connection with dozens of thefts in Vienne has been found camping out in dense woods.
The ex-soldier was taken into custody on Tuesday, after a search team discovered him living in a makeshift campsite in dense undergrowth in a forest about 1km from his last known address - a mobile home at Chez Guingat.
A number of items - including laptops, jewellery, and silverware, as well as gas bottles and small cooking appliances - were found at the site.
He had been arrested in April 2017, and charged in connection with about 40 crimes in and around the tiny commune of Surin, and he was sentenced to 15 months' jail in his absence when he missed a court appearance in January this year.
Police said the 51-year-old had used his military training to survive in the countryside and conceal his location for several months.
The Briton has spent his first days in prison while police investigate whether he is behind a second string of break-ins that started in the area around December. So far, they are focusing on 12 crimes, but said there may be more.
One couple had been robbed eight times in a matter of months, each time shortly after they had stocked up on food and filled their fridge, police said.
