Shameless thief waves at CCTV while stealing flower display from family business

31 August 2023 , 20:19

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Shameless thief waves at CCTV while stealing flower display from family business

This is the moment a brazen thief waves at CCTV cameras while stealing a potted plant from a family-run business.

Footage shows the man strolling across the street to pick up the floral display, which he smells before casually carrying it away. Moments earlier, he can be spotted cheekily waving at security cameras outside the Food to Go shop in Evesham, Worcestershire.

Owners David and Caroline Davis were gobsmacked when they checked their CCTV cameras after noticing one of their plant pots was missing on August 14. David, 52, said: "We’ve run this business for four years and never had any issues with thefts until now.

The thief can be spotted cheekily waving at security cameras outside the Food to Go shop (Courtesy David Davis / SWNS)

Footage shows the man strolling across the street and picking up the floral display (Courtesy David Davis / SWNS)

"We noticed one of our plants was missing and when we checked the security cameras were shocked. He’s walked in, waved at the camera, picked it up and sniffed then walked off with it. They’re begonias. We don’t sell them, they’re for decoration on our little terrace.

"We're a food business, they’re there to brighten the place up. It's part of our decoration, there’s a whole row of them that separate us from another different carpark. They're only about £30. It's not the value, it’s the fact that we’ve grown them. It's the waving at the CCTV that gets me.

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"It's the only time it’s ever happened. We've never been broken into or robbed from." Caroline, 44, followed a trail of petals but it ended abruptly across the street, leading the couple to think the thief escaped in a car.

The shop's owners were gobsmacked when they checked their CCTV cameras (Courtesy David Davis / SWNS)

Dad-of-five David added: “Nobody has come forward and the police are keeping quiet about it. I went on Facebook myself and asked who the individual is. Someone is sat there with a nice pot plant in their front garden.

"Me and Caroline both think there was a vehicle parked around the corner. You wouldn’t want to carry it because it’s quite heavy. There were some petals on the floor that we followed and then it suddenly stopped.

"The way he was looking, I wonder if there was someone egging him on. They do look lovely. I've had to spread the others out to make sure there’s no gap."

Inspector Dave Wise, from West Mercia Police's Safer Neighbourhood Malvern Hills and Wychavon, told the Mirror: "I want to assure the community that we take all reports of crime seriously, including the theft of a plant pot. We recognise the impact of this incident, irrespective of the monetary value, and are actively pursuing leads to identify the suspect involved."

Katie Weston