This is the moment a hooded thief brazenly raided a cake stand—only for the determined baker to chase him down the street and recover her lemon drizzle cake.
After being confronted, the cake thief meekly apologised to baker Jade Walton and returned the sweet treats he had taken.
Ms Walton, who runs JD Bakes in Clay Cross, Derbyshire, noticed the man helping himself to £9.80 worth of cakes and desserts on October 19.
Footage shows the unnamed man pulling his coat up over his face as he placed the baked goods into a bag.
The hungry raider took a lemon drizzle cake, a slice of raspberry ripple and a chocolate brownie before making his escape.
But after watching the brazen theft unfold on her phone, Ms Walton, 33, ran after him down the road.
Video footage captures the baker pursuing the sweet-toothed thief and demanding that he return the stolen treats.
The moment a hooded thief brazenly steals from a cake stand
Baker Jade Walton outside her honesty shop, JD Bakes, in Clay Cross, Derbyshire
After seeing the theft on her phone, Ms Walton, 33, chased the man down the road
She can be heard shouting: ‘You’ve just took them without paying. You’ve done this before.’
The thief hands back one of the cakes, says ‘sorry’ and initially attempts to walk away.
But after Ms Walton points out that he had taken ‘more than one item’, he eventually opens his bag and returns the other two packages.
Ms Walton then tells him: ‘don’t come back’.
The mother-of-two said: ‘There’s a sign on the outside of the shed, on the inside and in the courtyard saying there’s 24 hour recording.
‘I was in the bakery making some cookie dough and I saw the previews.
‘I looked over and saw someone with their hood up and part of their face covered.
‘I loaded up the footage to see if they had taken anything, and they had, so adrenaline took over.
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‘I ran out to look for them. I ran to the high street and saw them and started running down the street.
The hungry raider took a lemon drizzle cake, a slice of raspberry ripple and a chocolate brownie before fleeing
After confronting the culprit, the cake robber meekly apologised to baker Jade Walton and handed back the sweet treats
‘I put my phone on record and shouted “excuse me!”.
‘They passed me one, then I said they’ve taken another.
‘They were already eating one item. I couldn’t believe it.
‘I’m not a confrontational person but I couldn’t let this go.
‘I was shaking and couldn’t believe that I’d run after them and stood up for myself and my little business.’
Ms Walton opened her business in 2017 and has been repeatedly targeted by thieves over the last few months.
She added: ‘We operate on a full honesty box system, there is another camera in there and another in the courtyard.
‘This man has taken a lemon drizzle cake, a raspberry ripple cake and a brownie – that was £9.80 worth of stuff.
‘It’s more the principle, it’s more than the cake.
‘Obviously we didn’t put any of the items back but it’s annoying to deal with.
‘This is the third theft since July.
‘Ninety-nine percent of the people who come are honest and I appreciate every single customer, I just don’t want the odd one to spoil it for the many.
‘I’ve seen many other cake businesses who have got the sheds that have the issue – I feel that business owners should stand together and show that it’s not okay.’
A spokesman for Derbyshire Police said: ‘The incident has been reported to us and lines of enquiry, including footage of the individual who stole the items, are being reviewed and pursued. No arrests have been made at this time.’