Ten crimes caught on Google Street View

Being caught committing a crime on CCTV is bad news but being caught doing something illegal on Google Street View is equally as dangerous.

While the repercussions may not be as instantaneous, the likelihood is that you will get caught in the end.

See also: Why is Google Earth showing a plane 'at the bottom of a lake'?

See also: London's worst Tube stations for crime revealed

These are the people that were caught red-handed by Google!

10. Passion in Manchester
In 2013 Street View captured one couple's passionate moment when they were snapped getting it on in a back allet in Manchester. Luckily for the couple, the shocking image was swiftly removed from the Street View site.

9. Child Catcher, Massachusetts

In 2009 Rose Maltais kidnapped her 9-year-old granddaughter Natalie after threatening the girl's parents, saying they would never see her again. Police tracked the grandmother using the GPS from her phone and managed to find the pair in a hotel nearby.

8. Public Urination, France

When one Frenchman was caught urinating outdoors you would think he would be the one in trouble, instead the man sued Google for more than $110,000 – citing 'invasion of privacy'. However he lost the case and was instructed to pay Google France a fine of $1.500.

7. Sock phone, UK

In 2015, John Spence kidnapped businessman Sander Cokelaere in an elaborate attempt to obtain money. He tied him to a tree and threatened him with an air gun and demanded nearly $3,000. Throughout the ordeal Cokelaere hid his phone in his sock and when Spence left to get the money he used Google Maps to send a screenshot of his location to his boss.

6. Police Chase, Novi Sad, Serbia

When two Serbian students turned to robbery to make some quick cash their plan was foiled. The hopeful pair were scoping out a jewellery store in the city and when locals called police a furious chase ensued. Luckily Google Street View's car was travelling in the same direction and captured the criminals.

5. Chicago Drug Deal, USA

In 2008 a drug deal was captured from nine different angles – evidently the Google Street View camera didn't deter the buyer who stayed to complete the deal anyway.

4. Adultery Redemption, UK

A spurned woman caught her husband cheating on her when she spotted his Range Rover outside another woman's house using Street View. Having claimed he was on a work trip, he was caught out because of his distinctive hub caps. Armed with proof the wife filed for divorce proceedings immediately.

3. Chinese Abductions, Sichuan, China

In 1990, five-year-old Luo Gang was kidnapped and sold to a family 1,448Km away. Twenty-three years later he posted details of his old town's geographical features on a missing persons forum and online communities reading his posts helped him to narrow down the location of his home to Sichuan province. Meticulously using Google Street View, Gang was able to zone in on his home village which perfectly matched a sketch he had drawn of his childhood home. Not long later he was reunited with his family!

2. Armed Robbery, Johannesburg, South Africa

Google Street View captured an armed robbery in February 2015 – images show two men getting out of their car, approaching a van and holding the driver at gunpoint. Police circulated the images on social media to try and track down the culprits.

1. Captured by Karma, Oklahoma City

In 2011 a woman came home to find she had been robbed, but that actually turned out to be the least of her worries because the culprits were still in the house. After holding her at gunpoint one man turned to her and said: "I think my karma is going to catch up with me." Three years later the resident was on Street View and saw the images of the perpetrators on the day of the crime, outside her house. She gave the images to police who appealed for witnesses