A trio of masked schoolboys who brazenly stole treats from an honesty box cake shed were later shamed into returning and paying for the goods. The incident occurred Sunday afternoon at The Capel Cake Shed in Capel-le-Ferne, Kent.
Bystanders alerted owner Emma Burton after spotting the teenagers entering her shop. Reviewing her Ring Doorbell camera footage, Burton, 46, saw one youth wearing a t-shirt fashioned into a balaclava helping himself to the sweet treats. An older boy was heard urging his companion to take as much as possible before they fled with their loot.
Burton, who works as an ice-cream seller, believes the culprits were around 13 or 14 years old. She reported the incident to Kent Police and shared the footage on Facebook in an effort to identify them and deter future occurrences.
According to Burton, 11 items worth £27.50 were taken. She stated that the honesty box system relies on trust, with all items priced at £2.50 and payment accepted via cash or a QR code linked to her bank details.
Later that evening, Burton and her husband encountered three teenagers in a park who she believes were the perpetrators. When her husband confronted them, claiming he recognized them from CCTV, the youths reportedly responded with expletives and threats to rob the shop again.
Since Burton posted the video, which garnered over 36,000 likes on Facebook, two of the youths reportedly returned to the cake shed and placed £10 each into the honesty box. Burton noted that while this was not the first such incident, the majority of customers are honest and appreciative of the shop.
A Kent Police spokesman confirmed that the incident was reported, stating that cakes were stolen from premises in Capel le Ferne on Sunday afternoon. Police are asking anyone with information to contact them, quoting reference 16-1534.