Vicar’s fury as two women steal £8,000 destined for Zimbabweans
A VICAR spoke of her outrage after two "greedy" young women snatched almost £8,000 destined for desperately poor Zimbabweans, days before she boarded a flight there.
The money was stolen before it could be sent to help deprived Zimbabweans
Police said that the duo followed her from a bureau de change in a supermarket.
Reverend Lynda Hulcoop had raised the cash along with members of her congregation to support a maize-growing project and a special needs school in the deprived African nation ruled for 30 years by Robert Mugabe, who celebrates his 93rd birthday today.
Church-fundraising events had helped accumulate thousands of pounds, which Rev Miss Hulcoop had changed into US dollars at a bureau de change when the brazen theft happened.
Two young women, dressed in puffa jackets and scarves, followed the minister to the exit of a Sainsbury's supermarket where she had exchanged the currency, and grabbed wads of notes worth £7,500 from the plastic carrier bag which the vicar was carrying them in, after following her to the exit.
The trip went ahead, but when she returned, Rev Miss Hulcoop said: "Having just spent the last two weeks living among these lovely but poverty-stricken people trapped in such dire circumstances and surviving on so little, I am left feeling even more deeply the horrible injustice of this incident.
"Greedy people preying on others for their own gain have stolen money meant for children and families in desperate need in a country on the verge of collapse. The whole community who gave so generously feels the offence very keenly."
Rev Miss Hulcoop was furious at the injustice of the incident
Many people had donated and worked very hard to raise these funds
She added: "Many people had donated and worked very hard to raise these funds for educational support of children, for a special needs school, for the support of a disabled young man who had recently tragically lost his mother, for food and medical aid, for a youth music project and to support our maize seed project growing food.
"Zimbabwe rarely makes the headlines these days, but the situation there is dire. The economy and the banking system have basically collapsed.
"Normally our charity sends money by bank transfer but this option is no longer viable as the banks only allow people to withdraw $100 per day involving many long hours of queuing. Thus we had to take cash."
Rev Miss Hulcoop had just exchanged the donations into dollars
Her church, Southwick Christian Community Church in Roman Crescent, Southwick, Sussex, had been working to prepare for the trip for weeks before the theft, and funds were due to be distributed to schools and worthy causes, as well as the Paraclete Christian Network International, an evangelical group operating in Zimbabwe.
The shocking theft occurred in a Sainsbury's store, on Old Shoreham Road, West Hove and police said staff at the bureau de change were being spoken to about what they saw, and CCTV was being scoured.
A spokesman for Sussex Police said: "As Rev MissHulcoop went to leave the store, two other women followed her to the exit and used sleight of hand to remove bundles of banknotes from a bag she was carrying."