A U.K. man has been charged with murder after using Find My iPhone to track down and kill the thug who stole his son’s iPhone at knifepoint earlier in the day.
Derek Grant reportedly used Apple’s tracking software to locate the nearby thief after his son was robbed on his way home from work at McDonalds. When Derek confronted the thief and demanded he return the iPhone, the thief blinded him with a knife to the eye, which Grant says caused him to lash out in self defense and kill him.
Grant retaliated for the cut to his left eye by using a knife he brought from his house for safety, to repeatedly stab Bradley. The thief was finally found around 1:15 am and taken to Inverclyde Royal Hospital, where he subsequently died of cardiac arrest.
iPhone theft has been a huge issue for local law enforcement agencies and has been responsible for the rise in crime in cities like New York, San Francisco, and London. Apple added Activation Lock to iOS 7 in an effort to deter iPhone-theft, but the handset is still popular as ever among thieves.
Grant pleaded guilty to culpable homicide yesterday at the High Court in Glasgow after prosecutors reduced his murder charge. In a statement to the court, Grant said, “I wish to declare for the record that at the time of this incident, I was acting in self-defense.”
His three sons, ages 20, 17 and 16 were also charged with murder, but their not guilty pleas were accepted by the court. Grant awaits sentencing on September 1st and to add to the injury, had his drivers license taken away now that he’s blind in one eye.
Source: DailyRecord
