Worcester woman caught stuffing '£400 of Jellycats' down her trousers

CCTV footage from a garden centre in Worcester shows a woman stealing £400 worth of Jellycat stuffed toys by shoving them down her trousers.

Cameras caught the woman helping herself to the soft toys,hiding them in her bag and clothing.

She can be seen adjusting her trousers from the sheer amount of stolen stock before wrestling a large £75 bunny-themed bag into her waistband.

The haul of soft toys was taken from the family-run St Peters Garden Centre,Worcester,on June 7.

Jamie Armstrong,from St Peters Garden Centre,said they were alerted to the theft when the woman ‘skipped out of the entrance and the alarm went off.’

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Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.He told Metro the team then checked the CCTV to find she had been ‘scouting out’ the shop’s large selection of Jellycats.‘At first we were looking back at the footage and it was one or two little Jellycats,popping them down the trousers.‘Then you get to 15 minutes in and she goes for it,’ he said,adding: ‘She walks in as a regular woman and walks out looking eight months pregnant.’Jamie said the theft felt ‘so brazen’ that the team posted the video to the garden centre’s Facebook page.CCTV footage captured the moment the woman wrestled a large soft toy down her trousers. (Picture: St Peter’s Garden Centre / SWNS)It quickly garnered 1.8 million plays at the time of writing,as well as support from the local community.Jamie said helpful social media users pointed out the woman had been asking online for stockists of Jellycats days before the heist.He said customers then located the bunny bag being flogged on Facebook Marketplace – and suggested the woman had even photographed it for resale in her car.‘We are a family-run garden centre so we’re not as powerful at the big chains or supermarkets.‘We don’t have as much budget for security,so it does feel like we get targeted,’ he said.The Jellycat display has now been moved closer to the customer service desk,he said,but the online response had been heartening: ‘Following on from posting this,people have been saying they’ll visit us now. We’ve had so much support from it. It’s probably given us more faith,if anything.’The garden centre’s Facebook page has received praised from locals since,with one writing: ‘Love your social media gang for doing this! Proper shocking behaviour.’Another commented: ‘Love the socials! Hate the criminals. You might be gaining customers at least from the great social posts! I just followed and will visit as a first timer very soon. I hope you catch her.’Some of the toys retail for between £18 to £55,while rare and retired designs can be resold for up to hundreds of pounds.The Jellycat brand of quirky stuffed animals and plush food items has seen a recent explosion in popularity.West Mercia Police saidenquiries into the theft were ongoing.