A crime wave of coronavirus-related incidents have surfaced across the UK with brazen thieves stealing food supplies from the elderly and police officers being ‘coughed at’ in the street as the country continues to battle the pandemic.
This is while raiders in north London broke into a pub just before 7am on Tuesday, taking supplies and a Deliveroo tablet it had been using to process takeaway orders.
A man from east London is set to appear in court on Wednesday after he told police he had coronavirus.
It comes after police across the country were forced to break up gatherings in the UK in parks and other social environments as many decided to flout the government’s advice regarding social distancing.
An elderly woman in her 70s was left without toilet roll and freezer supplies in Sunderland after thieves broke into her home and used a wheelie bin to take her goods away.
The woman woke on Sunday morning to find thieves had broken in overnight at her home in Grindon and had stolen what have become essential items during the coronavirus crisis.
The True Craft pub in Tottenham (pictured above) had a Deliveroo tablet stolen from it. They had been relying on the tablet to keep staff employed
The victim’s daughter, who did not want to be named, said her mother had been left shaken by the incident.
‘My mum was a victim of a crime of the most heinous nature,’ she said.
‘Whilst sleeping, her garage was broken into and thieves helped themselves to the contents of her chest freezers.
‘They also stole loo roll and other items and used her wheelie bin to transport their loot.’
She added: ‘Whilst not wanting to set further panic in the communities I belong to, do take time to stress the importance of security to the vulnerable and elderly people you care for.’
Police officers have been forced to patrol parts of the UK as many continued to flout social distancing rules
A spokesman for Northumbria Police said: ‘Shortly after 10am on Sunday March 22 we received a report of a burglary at an address on Stirling Close, Sunderland.
‘It was reported that an intruder had broken into the garage of an address overnight and stolen a number of items including a wheelie bin and frozen food.
‘An investigation has been launched into the incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact us via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page on our website quoting reference 211 220320.’
This is while in London 45-year-old Darren Rafferty has been charged with grievous bodily harm and three counts of assault on an emergency worker.
A group of young men are spoken to by Kent Police officers before being dispersed from a children’s play area in Mote Park, Maidstone, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
Scotland Yard said officers were called to reports of an assault in Dagenham early on Tuesday afternoon and found an injured woman, who was taken to hospital for treatment. They also found a knife.
The Metropolitan Police said that, during Rafferty’s arrest, ‘he coughed on officers and stated that he was suffering from coronavirus’. He will appear at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court.
Also in London looters took the opportunity to take a Deliveroo tablet that a north-London pub had been relying on for customers to place take-out orders.
The pub’s owners were already struggling to keep the kitchen open and have now had to lay off all their 15 staff.
The four, who included a woman, were caught on CCTV levering up a metal shutter to gain entry and grabbing what they could inside the pub.
As they crawl back out underneath the shutter one at a time, a pair of pedestrians can be seen on the disturbing footage walking ever closer towards them.
The thieves also made off with around £500 in cash, iPads and bottles of spirits.
Brothers David and John Lewis quit their jobs to restore an abandoned Victorian pub 18 months ago and their ‘labour of love’ small business was thriving until coronavirus struck.
David, 38, said: ‘We employ local people and try and support other local businesses.
‘We shut down the day before the government’s announcement about closing pubs and restaurants because we wanted to be responsible and set an example.
‘We have been trying to protect jobs. We had to lay off half our 15 staff, the bar staff, but we had managed to keep the kitchen open.
‘No one was allowed into the pub but we were offering a selection of craft beers and pizzas and taking contactless payments.
‘The burglars got away with our only lifeline to survive as a small business – our Deliveroo tablet.
‘It is going to take us a while to get another one from Deliveroo, so now we have had to lay off our kitchen staff too.’
Sharing the CCTV footage to ‘shame these scumbags’, Mr Lewis said: ‘People are being told to stay at home and certain members of society see this as a prime opportunity to go out robbing.
‘When we reported it to the police, one of the officers told us they are seeing a fall in house burglaries but an increase in business burglaries.
‘This could be a sign of lawlessness to come in the country with so many businesses being shut.
‘I am concerned because there were riots here in Tottenham in 2011. I am now trying to secure the pub during lockdown because we don’t want it ransacked again or rioting and it set on fire.
‘It has been a very upsetting and stressful day.
‘We would appeal to anyone who recognises any of these people to report them to the police.’
The owners have also left a message for their customers on the pub’s website, saying: ‘Some people have no heart. I’m really sorry to inform you but we were broken into last night. So we are unable to operate and will not be open today and until further notice.
‘Thanks to everyone for all your support. You have kept our faith that the vast majority of our local community have hearts of gold.
‘It’s just a small minority that spoil it for everyone and make this whole situation even worse. Stay healthy and do the right thing.’