A burglar broke into a city park cafe to take two charity boxes with money inside. The incident reportedly happened in the early hours of Monday morning, March 21, at Belle Vue Park in Newport.
Belle Vue Tea Rooms cafe manager Jan Walsh said it isn’t the first time her business has fallen victim to criminals, after WalesOnline reported on the cafe being the target of vandalism last year.
CCTV footage shows the brazen burglar seemingly entering the cafe through the front entrance via a smashed window at 2.40am. Once inside, the burglar appears to jog to the till quickly and rummages around out of view of the camera.
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Ms Walsh, who was immediately alerted via a mobile alarm system, said she reached the cafe within ten minutes but realised two charity boxes were gone - one for Hope Rescue and the other for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
“They had their phone as a torch and looked around in the cupboards,” Ms Walsh said. “They had a hat and gloves on and distinctive pants. He had bright red and spotty underpants. I’ve always steered clear of this but I think if we can get something out there it will deter these people.
“This is our fifth incident. We’re doing a lot and making lots of effort to attract more people to come here and it’s a family friendly place at the end of the day. It’s really frustrating.”
A spokeswoman for Gwent Police said: “We confirmed that it had happened in the early hours of Monday morning a charity box was stolen and enquiries are ongoing. Anyone with any information can call Gwent Police on 101 quoting 2200092578, or you can direct message on Facebook or Twitter or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."
