CCTV: £1,500 thief 'targets Shropshire golf club shops'
A brazen thief who stole £1,500 of clothes from a golf club shop has targeted stores in Shropshire, it was claimed today.
The smooth-talking criminal also narrowly avoided being captured by police in a scene described as being "like a movie".
The thief targeted the pro shop at Penn Golf Club on Monday. With police too busy to investigate the theft, staff took the matter into their own hands and released CCTV images in a bid to catch the culprit.
And since then up to 10 clubs have been in touch saying a man matching the same description has tried his luck across Shropshire and other parts of the West Midlands, with many incidents this week.
Clubs in Telford and Wrekin have contacted Mark Butler from the Penn shop.
The alleged thief, said to be well spoken and in his 40s or 50s, has reportedly been joined by two others in his apparent latest raids. But his luck nearly ran out on his latest target when bosses of Shrewsbury Driving Range were alerted on Wednesday.
Shop owner Phil Toomer said: "It was like a movie. We knew the thieves were coming as a staff member at the Wrekin Golf Club had phoned us to let us know that the men had visited their shop and was on the way to us.
"A Silver Peugeot 107 pulled up on our car park and I went inside the shop and phoned the police.
"Owen, the driving range pro, tried to tackle the guy but he managed to get into his accomplices' car that was waiting at the top of the driveway.
"The police drove around the corner literally 10 seconds later and pulled into the driveway as they didn't know what had happened. It was rather unfortunate that they weren't caught."
As at the Penn shop, the alleged thief had a black coat draped over his arm.
He had allegedly visited the Wrekin Golf Shop in Telford earlier that day inquiring about Galvin Green golf jackets, the same make which had been stolen from the Penn shop.
West Mercia Police spokeswoman Abbie Harpley said: "We received a call at 2pm on Wednesday on Shrewsbury Driving Range about a man acting suspiciously inside the shop area.
"A member of staff had challenged him and he had ran off into a Silver Peugeot 107.
"Police attended the scene but no arrests were made and inquiries are ongoing."
Great Barr Golf Club was reportedly targeted on Sunday around 2.50pm where three jackets were reported missing.
West Midlands Police Spokesman Joanne Hunt said: "We are investigating the theft of some waterproof jackets at Great Barr Golf Club on April 14."
And on Tuesday Sandwell Park Golf Club was targeted where five jackets were reportedly stolen.
Richard Prophet, who works at the shop, said: "The main guy had a checked shirt on, smart jeans with black sunglasses and a black coat over his shoulder.
"A lad in his 20s had ginger hair, was wearing a black t-shirt on with black jeans with smart shoes on.
"They stole five Galvin Green Jackets worth more than £1,000. I phoned the police and they said they would get back to me but they haven't yet.
Anyone with information should call police on 101.
