Meadowhall Sheffield: Tactic used by thief who targeted shopper revealed as police hunt culprit

The crook’s tactic has been revealed by the shopper she targeted in the hope that it will prevent others in the mega-mall from becoming a victim.

The victim said a review of CCTV showed that the thief, who struck in New Look on Thursday night, followed her into the shop and then crawled under a clothes rail and swiped her bag after she placed it on the floor between her feet while she looked at some dresses.

The offender was then captured on camera walking into nearby Primark, and is now being hunted by South Yorkshire Police.

Her victim, who was shopping with her sister at the time, said her car keys, bank cards, gift vouchers and young son’s birthday money she was hoping to bank that day, were in her bag. Her Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra mobile phone, which contained irreplaceable photos of her late mum, was also stolen.

She has cancelled her cards and stepped up security at her home as a precaution.

Speaking about her ordeal to warn others to be on their guard, she said: “I can’t believe the lengths that people go to – to literally crawl across the floor to hide under a clothes rail and then swipe my bag.

“What I don’t like is to think that she might have been following me. There was literally nobody around me and my sister when we were looking at the dresses, I put the bag down and then it was gone. I would never normally have put my bag down but there was nobody anywhere near us – or so we thought. We had no idea somebody was hiding under the clothes rail.

“I just want others to know what people are doing so that they can be alert when they are shopping. What happened to me has really bothered me, it makes you not feel safe any more.”

A spokesperson for Meadowhall said: “The safety and security of our visitors and colleagues is our number one priority. We operate CCTV around the clock, and our own security team works very closely in partnership with retailers and the South Yorkshire Police to help ensure everyone has an enjoyable experience while visiting the centre.”

South Yorkshire Police said: “SYP are investigating a reported theft from a clothes shop inside Meadowhall.

“At around 6.50pm on Thursday, December 1, it is reported that a woman in her 30s had her bag stolen while she was in a clothes shop. The bag is believed to have contained cash, cards and the victim’s mobile phone.

“The suspect, an unknown woman, is reported to have fled the store and enquiries are ongoing.”

A five-strong squad of four police officers and a sergeant detained an average of three people a day every day in 2022 for offences in Meadowhall. They also recovered £77,000 of stolen goods

Anyone with information about the latest incident should call South Yorkshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.