Brazen 'shoplifter' seen nonchalantly stuffing bags with ‘£200 rule’ blamed
EXCLUSIVE: A man was seen simply helping himself to goods at a Card Factory counter before walking out without paying.
Footage of a man calmly stuffing a shopping bag and loading up on goods before walking out without paying has been blamed on a so-called £200 rule.
The eye-popping footage seems to have been caught on camera by an onlooker at a Card Factory store in London, with staff looking on helplessly as the alleged shoplifter sauntered out of the shop with his massive haul.
A female shop worker said: “That will do now. Come on.” Another colleague also stood by the till but didn’t intervene.
It’s believed to have happened at 10am on July 3 at the card shop branch on Seven Sisters Road, in Holloway.
Many have blamed the jaw-dropping shamelessness of the alleged thief on a law - originally introduced by Theresa May - to speed up the court system.
The 2014 move to introduce a low-value shoplifting category for items worth under £200 in total was to allow police to deal with these offences by post.
Labour has vowed to abolish what it dubbed a “shoplifters’ charter” with a Home Office spokesperson telling Express.co.uk that “shoplifting is at a record high" and "this cannot go on".
There has been an open-mouthed reaction to the video clip that has been shared on YouTube, originally by @LondonUKStreetNews and watched more than 750,000 times. However, it’s since been shared on TikTok by other users and is still racking up furious reactions.
One commenter said: “Up to £200 isn’t stealing according to the Government so he is just taking advantage of the benefits of this Great Country.”
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Another said: “I have spent decades working in some of the poorest countries in the world, never would you experience this kind of situation."
A Home Office spokesperson told Express.co.uk: “Shoplifting is at a record high. This cannot go on - so we are going to bring back neighbourhood policing, ensuring thousands of additional officers are out patrolling streets in our mission to make our streets safe.
“We will also end the effective immunity for low-level shoplifting of goods under £200 to remove the perception that those committing low-value shop theft will escape punishment.”
Labour said data showed a record 402,482 shoplifting offences in England and Wales in the year to September 2023.
But offences resulting in a police charge fell from 20 percent to 15 percent between 2018 and 2023 according to a Freedom of Information request, reports Sky News.
Express.co.uk has also approached the Metropolitan Police and the Card Factory for comment.
