Poppy fund and Family Support cash stolen from Hove church HQ (From The Argus)

Poppy fund and Family Support cash stolen from Sussex church HQ

10:40am Friday 9th November 2012 in News By Emily Walker, Chief Reporter

More despicable thieves have targeted charity collection boxes.

A thief snuck into Church House – the home of the Diocese of Chichester – in Hove and emptied two charity collection boxes.

The sneaky thief broke the seal on the bottom of the Poppy Appeal and Chichester Diocesan Family Support Work tins and emptied the contents so no one noticed their disgusting crime until a day later.

It comes just a day after police launched an appeal to find a man wanted in connection with the thefts of two further Poppy tins in Brighton.

Maggie Simons, director of Family Support Work, said: “Our staff on the front desk thought we had emptied them to start with.

“Then we saw the seals were broken and the contents had been stolen. People have been very shocked that anyone could stoop so low as to do something like this.

“We work with children and families across Sussex and as a charity it is very difficult to raise the funds we need at the moment.

Generous donations

“This money was other people’s generosity. Money that people who make the donations can often barely afford to give themselves.

“We often find it is those who have the least who give the most.

“You would think that even if they didn’t know anything about us, the Poppy Appeal is a national charity everyone has heard of. They must have known they were stealing from a charity. It is very, very upsetting.”

On Wednesday Sussex Police launched an appeal to find Martin Grimshaw who they wanted to speak to in connection with the theft of Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal tins from Sainsbury’s in North Road and Kamsons pharmacy, in Lewes Road, Brighton.

Veterans condemned the charity thief as “despicable” and police described it as “the worst type of theft.”

A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said it was not known whether the latest theft was linked to the two previous crimes.

She added that they were investigating the theft and urged anyone with information to call them on 101, quoting serial 1436 of November 7.

Grimshaw was yesterday still at large. Anyone who knows his whereabouts should call the police.

To make a donation to Family Support Work call 01273 425699 or visit www.justgiving.com/chichesterdiocesan/donate.

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