THIS is the moment a glamorous shoplifter stole £1,000 worth of jewellery by “distracting” the shopkeeper with her incredibly short skirt.
Ian Lambert, 62, was left reeling after the “devastating” theft from his independent store Artisan Island in Weymouth, Dorset.
BNPSFootage has shown the moment a female shoplifter ‘distracted’ employees with her incredibly short skirt[/caption]
BNPSThe thief appeared to purposefully bend down to expose the lower half of her body while stealing £1,000 worth of jewellery[/caption]
BNPSThe brazen shoplifter can also be seen adjusting her skirt, seemingly attempting to make it shorter, in the CCTV footage[/caption]
Footage shows the moment the brazen thief entered the store, donning a very short green dress, with her eyes set on the valuable jewellery.
As she begins to seemingly browse the store’s items, the thief appears to deliberately bend down to the lower shelves, flashing her bottom to staff.
After moving to a more central part of the store, the sick thief appears to adjust her skirt, making it even shorter in an attempt to try and distract the shopworkers.
Armed with a tote bag across her left shoulder, the thief can then be seen sneaking products into her carrier as she makes her way around the sweet independent shop.
On a number of occasions, the brazen shoplifter can be seen squatting down to reach the lower shelves, exposing the lower half of her body to workers in the store.
Bizarrely, she can also be seen rubbing her hand across her body and adjusting her skirt once more as she makes her way towards the front of the shop, where workers appeared confused by her behaviour.
Ian said he initially felt like he needed to look away from the woman for fear of being branded a pervert, as she exposed her body seemingly deliberately.
But when he later checked CCTV footage, he discovered the thief had used the unusual technique in order to fill her bag with £1,000 worth of jewellery – including rings, necklaces and commemorative coins.
Ian explained: “This woman came in the store with a very short green mini dress.
“Every time she bent over to look at something on the bottom shelves her dress would ride up.
“I didn’t want to be seen looking at her as I would be the one who would be called a pervert.”
He added: “We now know that every time she bent over she was filling her bag with some of the items off the shelves.
“On her way out she even had the cheek to thank staff and apologise for not buying something on this occasion.”
Ian said his small business was still in the process of figuring out how much money it had lost from the theft, as each of the stolen items belonged to individual independent sellers.
Describing the devastation caused by the theft, Ian added: “It’s not us she stole from – it’s normal people trying to make an honest living.
“You could say that it was a fantastic idea by her to distract staff in that way but you just have to have the nerve to do it.”
BNPSThe shoplifter was caught bending down across the store[/caption]
BNPSShe could also be seen shoving luxury items into her bag[/caption]
BNPSIan Lambert (left) says the theft has been ‘devastating’ for his sellers[/caption]
The very next day after the thefts, Ian put up dozens of flyers to try and widen the appeal to find the shoplifter, and to warn other businesses.
However, he said many of these appear to have been taken down.
Ian added: “We really have a shoplifting epidemic in this country and there are no consequences for the people that do it.
“If shop owners try and stop it then they are the ones who get in trouble.
“I plastered flyers all over the town but many of them seem to have been taken down. I guess people want to protect her identity.”
Ian explained he had not reported the incident to police because, he claimed, they had not helped previously, reports the Daily Mail.
‘DEVASTATING EFFECT ON OUR SELLERS’
Just yesterday, Artisan Island posted an emotional update on social media, sharing the “distress” that the recent shoplifting had caused for crafters who sell their goods at the store.
The post read: “The recent shoplifting did cause a lot of distress to the Artisan Island crafters.
“Many have low income and there are those living with chronic health conditions, as well as being carers – some work in public services in highly stressful jobs.
“Selling through the shop is a window of sunshine, where people can express their creativity and share something they are passionate about with others.
“It costs money and time to make the items and crafters pour love and care into every one.
“This isn’t a big multinational company, it’s a local shop stocked by ordinary people who pay the cost themselves for any losses and begin to wonder if it’s all worthwhile.
“Ian is doing his best to try and stop theft at Artisan Island, he can see the devastating effect it has on our sellers.
“It’s not easy and it can feel that there is no support from outside the shop in actually ending the shoplifting.
“Please don’t steal from us.”
Just last year, a woman was jailed after admitting to nine “distraction thefts” of mobile phones from across the Home Counties.
Nirix Stanescu, 24, could be seen swiping one device from a McDonald’s customer, after distracting them with a piece of paper.
How a ‘distraction’ wallet can protect you from being pickpocketed on holiday – with some for just £4
TOURISTS are often targeted by thieves but a £4 distraction wallet could prevent your holiday from being ruined.
While you may not want to have to think about the dangers associated with exploring unknown areas, there are some simple tricks that can put your mind at ease.
Travel + Leisure writer Annita Katee went to South America and while in Lima, Peru, a member of her tour group had her phone snatched from her.
The situation gave Katee a “wake-up call” to how you will never eliminate all risks but that “being prepared and proactive can make a world of difference.”
One of her top safety hacks is to carry a distraction wallet or a decoy.
While you may initially believe that this is an extra expense and more to carry, it could prove vital in the event of being pickpocketed or even having a confrontation with a thief.
For example, if you find yourself confronted in a mugging situation and you are asked to hand over your wallet, pass over the decoy rather than your real one.
To make it believable, the fake wallet should have expired credit cards, a small amount of cash that you can sacrifice and some non-essential items.
You could even put a copy of a photograph in there and some old receipts to make it more realistic.
“The decoy can be enough to satisfy the thief and buy you precious time to retreat to safety,” Katee explained.
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