Police have arrested a well-known offender after a string of hospital thefts in the Lower Mainland.
Forty-five-year-old Bryan Laidlaw has 98 convictions for offences dating back to 1987, and he’s been known to target hospitals, police said.
Earlier this month, a new mother’s cell phone was stolen from the maternity ward at B.C. Children’s Hospital. When police tracked down the phone, and the guy who allegedly stole it, they knew they had seen him many times before.
Laidlaw is also a person of interest in a theft from Lions Gate Hospital earlier this month, according to police. Three-hundred dollars was stolen from a mother’s room while she was receiving care with her premature baby.
A surveillance image was released by the RCMP of their suspect, although the man in the photo has yet to be identified.
Security officials said the facilities are prime hunting grounds for thieves. Last month, a wallet and iPad were stolen from the maternity ward at a Langely hospital.
In December 2007, Laidlaw was convicted of stealing electronics from a very sick 17-year-old girl at B.C. Children’s Hospital.
According to police, he is restricted from various Lower Mainland malls, department stores, parking lots and is not allowed to touch anyone’s car without the owner’s permission.
“He can almost go nowhere other than jail without being arrested at this point,” said Cst. Brian Montague.
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