Thief steals café’s charity collection tin
Some people have no shame.
Security cameras have picked up a thief stealing a charity collection tin from a café in Leichhardt.
The theft took place at Bar Italia in Sydney’s inner west.
The cameras caught the brazen thief looking at his menu. With his jacket draped over his arm, he was shown pretending to read while his eyes scan the shop, just to make sure no one was watching him.
The CCTV footage showed him emerging from the shop half a minute later. Only this time, the jacket was no longer hanging loose on his arm. This time, it’s shaped like a box.
The thief seemed to be an expert and had probably done this before. He used the menu, then had his backpack covering the box. He then simply proceeded to the counter, decided not to order anything and left the premises.
Police believe the tin collecting money for terminally ill children was hidden beneath the jacket.
The money would go to help kids like six year old Ollie McPhail who has muscular dystrophy. It’s a condition that weakens and wastes the muscles and will eventually kill Ollie within 20 years.
Ollie’s mother Patricia was horrified by the footage.
"It's despicable and I think that it's really unfair for the whole Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy community,” she told 7 News.
"It's a 100 per cent fatal illness and I'm raising money by making clothes and accessories and relying heavily on donations."
A similar offence took place at two cafes in Melbourne’s Brighton East.
On Saturday July 2, an offender made off with co-Ground coin jars from Primrose Hill Deli and Marmalade Cafe, both on Hawthorn Rd. They each contained about $50 in coins.
“It is a shame, a total shame,” owner Fran Roberts told the Herald Sun.
“They must have been taken while we were open, we checked the CCTV and it is just out of shot.
“It is mysterious, maybe they put the jar up their jumper and walked out, we don’t know.”
by Leon Gettler, July 18th 2016
