Police officers followed their noses to catch three takeaway thieves who ambushed a delivery worker, hitting him over the head with a bag of prawn crackers.

A trail of curry sauce led police to the hiding place of brothers, Joseph and Carl May, and their 21-year-old accomplice, Colin Brownjohn.

The men, who come from Bentley near Walsall, were each sentenced to 120 hours community service at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

The crime was described in court as "incredibly amateurish and incredibly stupid".

Prawn crackers

Steven Bailey, prosecuting, said the three men ambushed delivery worker George Edwards who was delivering a takeaway meal worth �23.85.

They hit him over the head with a bag of prawn crackers and ran to an unoccupied flat in the block in Western Avenue, Bentley.

Mr Edwards phoned police who arrived at the flats to find a trail of curry sauce leading them from the scene of the crime to the sixth floor flat in which the men were hiding.

The three men were found in the kitchen of the flat.

The May brothers, aged 28 and 27 respectively, and Brownjohn, admitted a charge of theft.

'Bullying and boorish'

Joseph May's girlfriend, 19-year-old Vicki Adams, who had telephoned for the order, was given a two-year conditional discharge.

Recorder Michael Challinor told Adams she had played her part in tricking Mr Edwards into coming to the block of flats.

"I am quite satisfied that you were part of the plan."

He said the men's behaviour had been "bullying and boorish".

Graeme Simpson, defending the men, said the crime had caused "acute embarrassment" to them, and described the crime as "incredibly amateurish and incredibly stupid".