DNA found on a discarded jumper has led to a man being convicted of theft in Orange Local Court.
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Heni Tabbouch, 32, from the the Mitchell Highway, Lucknow, had discarded his jumper and hat in a doorway at the side of the Royal Hotel after stealing a wallet that had fallen out a man's pocket outside the hotel moments earlier.
According to police, two men went to the Royal Hotel after finishing work.
They arrived at 6.55am and since the hotel wasn't due to open until 7am they sat on a bench out the front until it opened.
However, when the hotel did open, a wallet fell out of one of the men's pockets. The wallet contained his bank cards, identification and $350 in cash.
Tabbouch had been walking along Summer Street and saw the wallet on the bench and picked it up before continuing along Lords Place.
He walked up a driveway and took off the jumper and hat he was wearing and left them in a doorway then walked back along Lords Place.
The incident was captured on CCTV.
As the men got inside, the man realised he was missing his wallet and notified staff and contacted the police.
Police spoke with the victim and a cleaner who found Tabbouch's clothes, which were seized for forensic analysis.
Tabbouch's DNA was found on the inside of the jumper. The wallet was also found in a car park and still contained $150 in cash although $200 was missing.
Magistrate David Day sentenced Tabbouch while he was absent on Monday.
Mr Day fined him $550 for the theft.
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