Was this thief callous or just stupid?

It would be nice to think nobody would go out of their way to steal pennies from a tin on a day to remember millions of soldiers who gave their lives to the war.

But you just never know.

Add to this the poignancy of it being 100 years since the start of the First World War and the crime is even more inexcusable.

As tens of thousands congregated around various memorials across the county at 11am on Remembrance Sunday to observe two minutes’ silence, it is safe to assume the thief was not one of them.

Sadly, even if this man is caught, the punishment he is likely to receive is unlikely to amount to more than a slap on the wrist.

Earlier this year we saw a 45-year-old man prosecuted for urinating on a war memorial.

His punishment was cleaning the gardens for two hours – something you would expect a 12-year-old to be lumped with for failing to hand their homework in on time.

This crime really goes against the mass public feeling of warmth and gratitude held towards our armed services.

Thousands of people made it to war memorials across Sussex at 11am on Remembrance Sunday to remember the fallen.

To remember those who gave their lives so that we would remain free to live in a democracy we must not take for granted.

Let’s hope the man who stole this money did not understand the disrespect he was showing. Could he now do the right thing and hand himself in?