Moment brazen thief swipes hairdresser's £1,300 Samsung phone from under her nose without her suspecting a thing
Emma Horne was working at her salon in Warrington, Cheshire, in June when a man carrying a newspaper came in asking for a haircut.
After the 42-year-old explained she didn't cut men's hair he claimed to be asking for his wife, so she walked behind her desk to fetch a price list.
Footage shows the cap-wearing thief take the chance to unfold his newspaper and place it over her Samsung phone that was sitting on top of the desk.
He can then be seen swiping his newspaper and the hairdresser's costly mobile off the counter and making a swift getaway before anyone had noticed the device was gone.
Ms Horne said she realised quickly after he left but she and a client couldn't find him when they looked down a nearby street.
When they returned to the salon and checked their cameras they found the man's cunning theft was captured on CCTV.
The incident has been reported to Cheshire Police and the force have confirmed enquiries are ongoing.
The salon owner said: 'It happened so fast he was literally in the salon for minutes.
'I went behind the counter to get a price list for him, then he put the newspaper over my phone and swiped it. It was gone within seconds.
'I felt angry and I was dead upset because it's the fact that someone came and took my property right in front of my face. He was standing right next to me.
'He actually looks at the cameras and everything so he knew the cameras were there because he looks right at it.
'About three minutes after he left, I was like, "where's my phone?".
'Panic set in because I've got my whole work schedule and everything on my phone. Everything's just gone.
'I went straight into the bank and put a freeze on my cards because I've got savings accounts and everything on there. I can't access my money now.
'It happened so fast. The anger is setting in now. I'm quite frustrated with it because I've got to go out and get myself a new phone and everything now.
'These people think they can go around and do this and get away with it.'
Ms Horne says she bought the phone eight months ago and had only recently finished paying for it.
She insists she usually welcomes everybody into her salon but believes she'll be more wary of potential customers in future.
She said: 'I feel a bit wary about things now. He did it so fast, we just didn't see him. It makes you feel a bit uneasy.
'We've got cameras for our own security and they're still coming in and doing it.
'We're quite friendly in our salon and we welcome everybody but I suppose you've still got to be on your guard because these people are out there going around nicking phones.
'Someone said they saw him lurking outside so he was obviously watching me put my phone down.'
A friend shared screenshots of the footage to Facebook in case a user recognised him and it has been shared more than 150 times.
Her post said: 'This just happened 1hr ago at the Warrington Market.
'The newspaper was a decoy. My friend just had her brand new Samsung swiped after he pretended to be interested in services at her salon.
'He placed a newspaper on top of the phone and swiped it. Please share if you can.'
A spokesperson for Cheshire Police said: 'At 11.38am on Tuesday 24 June, police were called to a report of theft at a hair salon in Time Square, Warrington.
'The caller reported that approximately 30 minutes earlier, an unknown man had entered the salon posing as a client, and stole a mobile phone.
'Enquiries in relation to the incident are ongoing and anyone with any information is asked to contact Cheshire Police.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Police arrest Chuck E Cheese mascot for credit card fraud as kids look on
A man wearing a Chuck E Cheese mascot was taken away by police officers in cuffs at one of the restaurant chain's locations in Florida. Jermell Jones, a part-time employee at the restaurant, was entertaining when officers from the Tallahassee Police Department arrived and took him into custody still in his mouse costume. He was charged with three felony offenses tied to the theft and fraudulent use of a customer's credit card. The arrest was captured on video and widely shared on social media. TPD said Jones resisted when approached by officers forcing them to place him in cuffs. Critics have slammed the public nature of the arrest, questioning why police didn't wait until the man was out of costume to avoid traumatizing any kids. One person wrote on Facebook: 'Ok, Tallahassee Police Department, y'all couldn't let this man change out of his Chuck E Cheese costume before arresting him in front of those kids?' 'This wasn't well thought out at all. They should not have arrested the mascot in front of those children. Those children's lives have been changed forever because of this. They probably won't trust characters at Disney or anywhere else they go after this,' another added. 'Those poor kids are going to have after seeing this,' a third joked. According to TPD spokesperson Alicia Hill, officers were called to the Chuck E Cheese after a woman reported her credit card had been stolen during a birthday party that was held there in June. The victim said she later discovered roughly $100 in fraudulent charges from unfamiliar retailers. Using transaction records and surveillance, police were able to trace the activity back to an employee working at the restaurant - someone who was responsible for checking hand stamps at the door. But when officers arrived to make the arrest, they were told by another staffer that the suspect was now dressed in the full Chuck E Cheese mascot. 'When they approached him, he immediately tenses up and resists, and so at this point they make the decision to put him in handcuffs,' Hill said. 'Keeping in mind the safety of not only the customers, but the suspect, as well as the officers themselves.' At least one officer referred to the man by his character's name. 'Chuck E, come with me, Chuck E,' one officer said while grabbing the employee in costume. Hill said that while there's no official TPD policy regarding arrests made in costume or in front of children, the department relies on officer discretion to prioritize public safety and the preservation of evidence. Police say they recovered the stolen credit card in Jones's possession during the arrest. He was booked at Leon County Jail and charged with three felonies. 'When you have a victim outside, it doesn't matter what the dollar amount is,' Hill said. 'She was the victim of a fraud.' Jones has since been released on $1,000 bond. Reached for comment, a Chuck E Cheese employee at the Tallahassee location told reporters: 'It's unfortunate that it happened here,' adding that the arrest 'didn't have anything to do with the company.' In a statement to the Tallahassee Democrat, a representative for CEC Entertainment, the parent company of Chuck E Cheese confirmed: 'We are aware of an incident involving a part-time employee arrested at our Tallahassee location on Wednesday, July 23. We have taken the appropriate action concerning the subject employee.'
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Lucy Letby ‘acts like Queen Bee in jail' and ‘gets hair & nails done in salon with killer pal Sara Sharif's step-mum'
BABY killer nurse Lucy Letby acts like the "Queen Bee" in prison due to the level of privileges she's afforded - angering other prisoners, it is claimed. The 35-year-old is serving 15 life sentences after being convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven more at the Countess of Chester Hospital. 5 5 5 Letby is reported to have struck up a bizarre friendship with Beinash Batool, who murdered her 10-year-old stepdaughter Sara Sharif. The ex-neo natal nurse is said to be chaperoned by prison guards wherever she goes, and special areas have to be cleared whenever she wants to visit - due to the high risk of her being attacked by fellow lags. The Sun reported last week how the evil pair play card game Uno for hours in their cushy jail unit after being given 'enhanced' privileges at HMP Bronzefield, Surrey. They also have "a lot of freedom" and can buy foods that others can't - often in the kitchen making cheese toasties together. Letby allegedly moans she's the "fattest I've ever been" due to her diet of junk food, including chocolate. Sources have since told The Mirror other female murderers in Houseblock Four are fed up with Letby and Batool - who is serving 33 years - getting special treatment. They say the government's Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme, which is designed to encourage good behaviour among prisoners, is being used by Letby who manipulates prison officers to get what she wants. The source said: "She turns on the tears at the drop of a hat, she gets all her visits in the family room which is really lovely even though she doesn't have children, it's meant to be for children and they've made it really nice. Her parents come to see her," our source said. "She walks around like she's Queen Bee, she stops other enhanced prisoners going to the library because she says 'I'm scared, I'm scared, I don't know what they'll do to me' but what about other people who are enhanced and want to use that library, they can't. "When she and Beinash go to the salon, the whole salon has to be shut down, because they are scared that other prisoners will attack them and obviously there are scissors and stuff there." The source said the pair go to the salon "at least once a month" and Letby is "always getting" her hair and nails done, adding the wing is "like an upside down world". Lucy Letby cops arrest 3 senior members of leadership team at hospital where killer nurse murdered 7 babies Letby and Batool, 31, have also reportedly been awarded "positive behaviour comments" by prison officers as part of the IEP scheme. This means they get extra perks like visiting the prison staff restaurant, called Vita Nova, which has two qualified chefs, and inmates can be trained barista and knife skills, it's claimed. And when Letby attends the likes of the salon or Vita Nova, it is closed to others to protect her, but she chooses to take Batool as her plus one guest, according to reports. One prisoner told The Mirror, there is "so much hatred for her" because she's "treated like she's Queen Bee". As reported by The Sun previously, the killer nurse works three different prison jobs and blows her wages on sweets and crisps. Letby has jobs as a laundry worker, earning £8 a week, a kitchen worker - another £8 a week - and a library worker. Lag sources say she's put on so much weight "you wouldn't recognise her". Unit 4 of 527-inmate Bronzefield, which is run by private firm Sodexo. Letby and Batool both have TVs with Freeview channels and a DVD player, along with books and films, which they can order from the library. Others on the unit include Sian Hedges, jailed for life in 2024 for killing 18-month-old son Alfie Phillips. Shamed prison officer Linda de Sousa Abreu, who romped with a lag, was also held there until her release last month. Letby — convicted of the murders of seven babies and attempted murders of seven more while a neonatal nurse — has regular legal meetings as she plans her appeal. Batool was sentenced last December for the murder of her tortured stepdaughter. Sara's dad, Urfan Sharif, is serving at least 40 years for murder after she was beaten to death at the couple's home in Woking, Surrey. 5 5
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
I make a fortune selling my HAIR to random men online – I took my braids out & one bloke sent me £800 just to sniff them
A WOMAN has revealed that she makes hundreds by selling her braids to random men online. Lateisha Jones, 24, has a very unconventional approach to making cash, and previously revealed that she flogs her used foot masks and earbuds online. 2 2 And now, the entrepreneur has shared one man pays to have a sniff of her hair. Taking to TikTok Lateisha explained that every six to eight weeks, she takes out her braids, and sends them to one specific customer. She said that people always assume that this man must be "old" or "weird. However, she described him as a "regular road man" in his twenties. Explaining what the man wants the braids for, Lateisha revealed: "He smells the braids and does his business." The TikToker revealed that she knows some people are attracted to the smell of unwashed hair, although she added that this is not a scent that pleases herself. "Because my braids are attached to my head, and they are in for so long, they have the unwashed hair smell", she said. Lateisha added that people always ask her whether she is concerned about pieces of her real hair getting mixed in with the braids she sends to the stranger. However, she said that this doesn't bother her as "he's not a serial killer, and he's not going to plant me at a crime scene." In a second video, Lateisha showed herself packing up the hair, and writing a "cute" card to send to the man. "Hope they smell as good as they looked on my head", she said, adding a lipstick kiss to the card. Lateisha then showed screenshot of her bank account, revealing that the man had deposited £800 in her account for the braids. The video, posted to her account @latieshajbackup, has likely left many people impressed, as it racked up a whopping 105,000 views on the video sharing platform. side hustle. One person said: "I've found my dream career!" A second said: "I'm about to start selling my extensions!"
