News / Crime
Spate of burglaries at cafe
An independent cafe in St George has been hit by a spate of burglaries in just one week by what its owner believes is the same person.
CCTV footage has captured three separate incidents of theft, the latest being on June 12 at the Orchard Coffee & Co on Clouds Hill Road.
On the burglar’s first attempt on June 4, the offender entered the cafe through a high window and emptied £50 from the till before stealing all the tablespoons.
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Joel Viljoen, who owns the Orchard, said the burglaries had heavily impacted his business.
Joel Viljoen (left) is the co-owner of Orchard Coffee & Co in St George – photo: Orchard Coffee & Co
Viljoen said: “It’s been a tough few months and it has really taken a toll on the business financially, our staff’s wellbeing and has been mentally draining on management.
“However, seeing the love from our local customers and the St George community really has helped us immensely.
“This won’t destroy us and we will keep looking after our beloved coffee shop and we hope to catch those bastards.”
When Viljoen saw on CCTV what looked like a male figure crawling on the floor going through the till and cupboards, he called the police immediately and drove to the building at around 1am.
He said: “When we arrived we couldn’t see any sign of forced entry or how they managed to access the building.
“We then came to realise that they had managed to enter through one of the windows which is several feet high.”
This was followed by another incident in the early hours of June 5 when the same male figure was seen jumping over the bar and raiding the till once again.
Viljoen went on: “I hid the till in a different location, which was in the kitchen. The following morning I woke up at 4.30am from my phone alerting me that there was a motion detected in the building at 3:36am.”
“Low and behold, it was the same male figure, crawling on the floor to avoid being captured by our camera and he was seen to be stealing that all important £50. He then exited the building from the window.”
Bristol24/7 has contacted Avon & Somerset Police for comment.
Main photo: Joel Viljoen
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