More stupid criminals fall to YouTube

For all the talk of the dangers of user generated content you can't help thinking that there are significant advantages to it as well.

Take the case of an arson attack on a Boys and Girls Club in Maine. Such cases of petty arson are sadly commonplace and are a fact of life. There were probably rebellious teens burning down abandoned huts since the dawn of time.

So naturally the police weren't that hopeful about catching the criminals behind the vandalism. That was, until evidence came from an unlikely source - the vandals themselves.

It seems these teenage tearaways videoed themselves throwing petrol bombs around inside the building, and then decided to stick the footage up on YouTube. The video clearly showed their faces and actions.

So far, so good. But as an added bonus for the police the idiots then included a credits screen which gave the names of everyone involved. All of them have now been charged.

Web 2.0 has many benefits, but cases like this show just how useful it can be, and how clueless some people really are.