This is the moment a grandmother had £450 stolen from her handbag in a lightning-quick distraction theft outside a busy discount store.
CCTV footage given to the Daily Mail shows two women - one wearing a headscarf - targeting Elaine Parkes, 66, as she crouched down to examine a box of goods outside MC Bargains in Acocks Green just after midday on Saturday.
Within seconds, one woman stands close beside her while the other reaches into her open bag and removes her purse.
Mrs Parkes, a grandmother of one who cares full-time for her 36-year-old daughter who has autism, did not realise what had happened until minutes later when she noticed her handbag was open and the purse - containing part of her pension and benefit payments - had vanished.
‘It all happened in a flash', she told the Mail. 'I remember one of the women was right by my side and I was thinking “oh you’re a bit close”.
‘As I bent down slightly to have a look at some wooden coasters in a box, the second woman has dipped into my bag and taken the purse.
‘I didn’t notice a thing at the time. I only knew something had happened a few minutes later when I noticed my bag was open. I looked to find my purse but realised it had vanished.
‘I went back into the shop to see if anybody had handed it in but nobody had. The owner then checked the CCTV and later showed me the security camera footage.
CCTV footage given to the Daily Mail shows two women - one wearing a headscarf - targeting Elaine Parkes, 66, as she crouched down to examine a box of goods outside MC Bargains in Acocks Green just after midday on Saturday
Elaine Parkes (pictured on the right), a grandmother of one who cares full-time for her 36-year-old daughter who has autism, did not realise what had happened until minutes later when she noticed her handbag was open and the purse had vanished
‘To be honest with you I felt sick when I saw it.
‘I had £450 in that purse that was partly my pension and partly benefit payments belonging to my daughter who is disabled and lives with me. I look after her money as well.
‘Normally I wouldn’t keep her cash on me but I’d forgotten to take it out of my purse when I drew the money out the previous day.
‘I was a bit stuck, I had to go food shopping later that day but fortunately a lovely lady in the shop who had seen what had gone on kindly gave me £20.’
The store owner, Mark Convey, took pity on Mrs Parkes and held a whip-round among staff and customers and managed to raise £450 for her.
The retired admin worker, who lives close to the store, added: ‘Mark was brilliant, he organised a donation and added in a bit himself and got me the £450 that had been taken. I’m really grateful to everyone and it restored my faith in humanity.
‘I just want these women caught now before then can steal from someone else. They shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it. What they did was disgusting.’
Mr Convey said he was happy to help and told how he had seen the suspected pickpockets in his store before.
The two suspects (pictured) who store owner, Mark Convey, said have been banned
He said: ‘They’re banned now and if I see them I’ll call the police. What they did was shameful.
‘They waited for Elaine to come out the shop and you can see on the footage how one of them sidles up to her to create a distraction while her accomplice leans in and takes the purse.
‘Elaine is a valued regular and we were keen to give her the money back. We’re a warm hearted community and look after our own.
‘Those two women need to be found as soon as possible. I’ve been told that Elaine isn’t their first victim and probably won’t be their last if they’re not caught soon.’
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: ‘We’re investigating after a purse was stolen from a woman while she was shopping at a store on Olton Boulevard, Birmingham, at 12.15pm on 14 February.
‘Officers are in the process of carrying out CCTV enquiries to find those responsible.'
