A cafe owner said she is ‘sickened and disgusted’ after a heartless thief stole two charity boxes from her cafe.
Karen Moxham, who runs the Accrington Pals Cafe in the Accrington Market Hall, was shocked to discover the charity boxes in aid of the Accrington Pals Charity and Brain Tumour Research had been taken on Tuesday morning.
Police said the boxes containing around £60 were taken from the cafe shortly before 7am on Tuesday, October 4, and have issued a CCTV image following the theft.
Karen, who has run the cafe for 12 months, said she discovered the theft when one of her staff asked where she had put the charity box.
She added: “I said I hadn’t put it anywhere and then one of our customers who we raise money for came and asked where his box had gone.
“It was then we realised someone had taken it before we arrived.
“I was just sickened and disgusted. You hear about things like this happening but you never expect it to happen to you.
“It’s so low and heartless, especially as it was money for charity, but they are not bothered.”
Customer Alban Hall, 84, from Knuzden, started collecting money for Brain Tumour research following the death of his wife Beryl in February 2013.
The former telephone engineer said: “It’s disgusting that people will steal stuff from the Pals as it’s a big charity and from Brain Tumour research as it’s very important to me.
“I do hope they catch whoever has done it but the money has probably already been spent.”
Police have released a CCTV image of a man they want to speak to following the incident and have appealed for information.
A police spokesperson said: “An offender has gone into the Market Hall and walked to the cafe on the ground floor. They have gone to read the menu and then sneaked under a curtain and stolen charity boxes before putting them into a carrier bag.”
If you have information please contact PC Vicky Heys on 01254 353103 or via 101 quoting ED1615194.
