Police have caught up with a fugitive who taunted them with Facebook posts by posting their own selfie with the man when they finally managed to put him in handcuffs.
The saga all started when Andrew Fox, 32, put a photo of himself on Facebook showing him flipping his middle finger at a police car after an warrant was issued for his arrest.
The fugitive posted the cheeky snap online of him grinning for the camera along with the bragging caption: “Hello Mr Officer.”
But the posts made by the cocky crook soon backfired after officers caught up with him this week in Kettering, Northamptonshire.
Northamptonshire Police tweeted their own selfie complete with smiley face emojis as they arrested Fox on Wednesday.
Kettering ProActive Cops wrote: "So the 'fugitive' who has been mocking our colleagues will mock no more.
"You're in 'cuffs lad, and off to custody, having met us today. Not much to smile about, one would suggest."
Fox, of Northampton, was convicted of assault and was jailed but released early on licence.
The force issued an appeal to track him down on July 6 after he breached the terms of release and Fox taunted police while on the run with a series of posts on Facebook.
On July 20 he posed next to an empty police car smiling while he made an offensive gesture.
He also posted a number of memes in the comments section of a police Facebook post appealing for help in catching him.
The posts, which included a picture with the words "peek-a-boo", have since been removed.
Writing on Facebook, Fox also whined about not living close enough to the probation office making it difficult for him to attend meetings.
Fox was previously convicted of attacking an 84-year-old war veteran in his back garden over an argument about a television.
He was sentenced to 40 months in a young offenders' institution in 2005 for the assault with a three-feet long piece of wood, which left the victim unconscious.
A police spokesperson said earlier this week: “Andrew Fox has a significant criminal history and is wanted on recall to prison after failing to comply with conditions imposed for an assault conviction.
“Rather than spending his time posting on social media, we’d advise him to hand himself in.
"Otherwise our officers look forward to catching up with him, after which he’ll have plenty of time behind bars to reassess his situation and the choices he has made.”
