A property manager in Cardiff caught a fly-tipper red-handed on CCTV and delivered instant revenge by dumping the rubbish on the offender's doorstep.
Caught on Camera
Dean Gauci, 38, discovered seven bags of household waste dumped outside a block of flats he manages in Cardiff on Friday, June 12. Determined to find the culprit, the Airbnb maintenance worker reviewed hours of CCTV footage and spotted the offender at 9am that day.
Mr Gauci then spoke with neighbours, who identified the fly-tipper and revealed he lived on the same street. Armed with this information, he walked to the man's home, deposited the rubbish on his doorstep, and rang the doorbell.
Confrontation and Response
When the man answered, Mr Gauci informed him he had been recorded on CCTV. The fly-tipper replied, "I was going to move this, sorry mate."
Mr Gauci, who runs Stay Care Operations Ltd, said: "People fly-tip here all the time - this is probably the 30th or 40th time people have done it. So I was so determined to find the person that did it.
I could have taken that rubbish and charged the landlord to dispose of it, but I wanted to do the right thing and catch the guy."
Evidence Gathering
Before reviewing the CCTV, Mr Gauci searched through the bags for clues and found Amazon boxes with the addresses peeled off. He consulted three neighbours, one of whom confirmed the man's identity.
He said: "It turns out he lived 10 houses up from the property. He literally lived on the same street."
Mr Gauci filmed himself returning the rubbish to the offender's doorstep before knocking. He explained: "I piled it right up on his door step to give him a taste of his own medicine. His response was funny, he must have felt stupid. But he dumped it."
