Kind-hearted Durham police officer gets pensioner's shopping free of charge after wallet stolen
The man, who lives with dementia, thought he had lost his wallet while he was having lunch at Crook Wetherspoons with his carer
A Durham Constabulary police officer has helped a pensioner get his shopping free of charge after his wallet was stolen.
The man, who lives with dementia, thought he had lost his wallet while he was having lunch at Crook Wetherspoons with his carer. He was due to do his shopping in Lidl after the meal, but became distressed when he couldn't because he had no money.
CCTV footage from the pub was viewed by police, and it emerged that the man had not dropped his wallet as he had thought, but it had in fact been stolen by a woman who pretended to look at a menu on the next table, and swiped it from his scooter.
After £100 was taken, along with the man's bank card and his bus pass, a social media appeal led to a 65-year-old woman being tracked down and arrested on suspicion of theft. She remains in custody at this time and the investigation is still ongoing.
In a kind-hearted gesture, PCSO Katie Gunby took a picture of the victim's shopping list and reached out to the manager of the local Lidl, who provided his shopping free of charge.
A spokesperson for Durham Constabulary said: "This brought huge relief to the gentleman and we are yet again bowled over by the kindness and generosity of the Crook community."