Wanted Aussie woman asks media to use her better pic

Melbourne, August 28 

An 18-year-old ‘looks-conscious’ Australian woman wanted in connection with property-related offences has asked a TV channel to use a better photo of hers while reporting on her, according to a media report.

Amy Sharp fled the police custody after breaking out of a police station in Sydney last week. In a bid to catch the woman, police issued a statement along with two of her photographs which were aired on TV channels.

The manhunt, however, took an unexpected turn when the woman’s pictures and police statement were uploaded onto TV channel Sydney’s 7 News Facebook page, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Sharp herself was the first person to comment on the story and the photos. She uploaded a more flattering picture of hers in the comments section with a request, saying: “Can you use this photo please, and thank you. Yours truly Amy Sharp XX”, the report said yesterday.

Apparently, Sharp was unhappy with how she looked in the picture provided by the police, in which she wore a glum expression and a red blanket draped over her shoulders, it said. The incident triggered a social media storm as netizens liked Sharp’s comment, which was accompanied with a smiling emoji with a halo, more than 47,000 times and attracted numerous reactions.

A Facebook user, Bec Sackville, commented, “Haha that’s a classic. Think the cops have found a new way to catch crims. Just put out an ugly photo and the crim will be in touch to give you a better one lol”.

The police said they did not consider her a risk to the public, saying she was in custody for property offences. She was later arrested in Wentworth Park, close to the area from where she escaped, the report added. — PTI