Personal branding is very important if you hope to get ahead in life. That’s why alleged burglar Matthew Maynard is taking a bit of extra care you wouldn’t expect; he submitted a photo of himself to his local paper since wasn’t a big fan of his mugshot they were using.

A British man on the run from police sent a picture of himself to his local paper because he disliked the mugshot they had printed of him as part of a public appeal to track him down.

South Wales Police had issued media with the photo of Matthew Maynard, wanted by officers investigating a house burglary, as part of a crackdown on crime in Swansea.

When it appeared in the South Wales Evening Post, the 23-year-old sent the newspaper a replacement photo of himself standing in front of a police van. They obligingly printed it on the front page.

The police thanked him for helping them in their appeal, saying: “Everyone in Swansea will know what he looks like now.”

I like how the police thing they’ve outfoxed Maynard in some way. It’s like when you do something douchey to a friend, like pulling a chair out as they’re sitting down so that they fall then, only they go, “Good, I wanted to sit on the floor anyway.” Yeah officers, I’m sure you’re stoked that this 23 year-old kid is basically saying that your police force is so impotent that he can get a glamor shot of himself posted on the front of a newspaper and he’ll still get off scot free. Which falls in line with what I know of British cops; they’d probably just chase Maynard around in a circle while Yakety Sax plays and some woman’s clothes get ripped off. Entertaining, but perhaps not the best type of justice. Except for that fictional woman, who probably learned a real lesson.

[Reuters]