Soccer-mad criminals have been turning themselves in to British police stations in the hope of completing a short jail sentence in time to watch the World Cup, British newspapers reported on Friday.

　　Police in Hertfordshire, north of London, sent a simple message to defendants who have been failing to turn up in court: surrender now or spend the World Cup in a police cell with no television, according to the Evening Standard newspaper.

　　The paper said the 296 letters sent to offenders' last known addresses had resulted in 17 people walkingsintoslocal police stations to face charges such as assault and theft, while 10 had turned up for court hearings.

　　One man even turned up to court with his bag packed, expecting a short spell in prison.No doubt he wanted to get his sentence over and done with to make sure he would be free again in time for the World Cup.