Bertoni cafe charity tin stolen by heartless ‘scumbag’

AN outraged cafe manager has slammed the customer who stole his store’s charity collection jar right from under their nose as a “scumbag”.

Do you know this suspected thief? Call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000

Bertoni cafe manager Symeon White said about $300 was inside the glass jar, which was gathering donations for the Australian Cancer Council to support their head chef Naomi Lowry, who recently ran a quarter marathon.

The cafe, on Bent St in Sydney’s CBD, has CCTV footage of a man wearing a blue shirt walking to the counter to order a coffee and slowly placing his black jacket over the jar. He then picks up the jacket with the jar inside and puts it in his backpack before receiving his coffee and leaving the store.

“The way he did it was very clever,” Mr White said.

“As he lifted the coat he lifted the jar up, which you can see in the CCTV. Closed the bag, gets his coffee and goes.

“I felt absolutely hurt and shocked … Why would a person do that?

“We only put the jar out a few days ago so we had actually collected a lot of money.”

Mr White reported the theft and police have launched an investigation.

“Sydney City Police are investigating the incident, and will review CCTV as part of the investigation,” a police spokesman said. “Anyone with information is urged to contact Day Street Police Station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.”