Footage from CCTV cameras captured the moment a brazen thief stole a bench from a Gateshead firm's car park leaving its staff "utterly devastated".
The bench was swiped last Wednesday (May 25) from outside the office of Last Night of Freedom, the region's biggest Stag and Hen party organiser. The suspect spent nine minutes prying the £280 bench out of the ground before jogging off under the cover of darkness.
Staff at the firm have been left reeling as the bench was a reward for hitting their monthly sales target – and the theft of the wooden seat has left management stumped.
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Sales rep Drew Reid said: "With summer coming we really wanted a bench to enjoy our breaks and lunch in the sunshine. We picked it as our reward and everyone was chuffed when it arrived, yet just a couple of days later, some scumbag just does what they want and it is gone.
"The staff work incredibly hard at Last Night of Freedom, so to have our reward snatched from us feels cruel and petty. It feels like it has been stolen from the staff themselves."
Northumbria Police is investigating the theft, with Last Night of Freedom offering a 'bench bounty' to try and track the culprit down. Thousands have viewed the CCTV footage on Instagram and TikTok after the firm posted it on their social media pages.
The opportunistic seat snatcher is thought to have initially struck at a neighbouring business in Saltmeadows Road before spotting the bench – which had been anchored down into the ground – and yanking it out.
Last Night of Freedom’s managing director Matt Mavir said: "Someone carrying a bench around Gateshead in the middle of the night isn’t an everyday occurrence, so someone must have spotted something that night. Our staff are utterly devastated as this was their reward. Understandably they feel like the victims.
"We are offering a 'bench bounty' – which is a cash reward – to anyone who can provide the key information which returns the seat to our staff. And our message to the thief is simple – the CCTV will be passed to Northumbria Police, so just do the right thing and return it."
A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: "We are investigating the theft of a bench outside Last Night of Freedom in Gateshead shortly after 10pm on May 25.
"Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with information can contact police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website or by calling 101 quoting log NP-20220529-0012."
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