Last Thursday, November 16, a charity box was stolen from Adams’ stationers on the High Street. A well-dressed man of mature years was seen loitering in the shop, by the newspaper counter. He claimed that he was awaiting the arrival of his grandson.
However, a short while later, a sales assistant heard a crash as the Rye Bonfire Society collecting box fell to the floor. It was secured by a nylon cord, which the man had failed to cut, but he had succeeded with the similarly secured Rye Hospital box, carrying it off when he ran out.
The man’s image was recorded on CCTV outside the shop and indeed along the High Street, as seen on the central monitoring screen maintained by Adams. A call to the police elicited the information that this man was already known from recent operations in Battle and Robertsbridge. It is not yet known whether the man has been apprehended and charged.
Photo: Kenneth Bird