THIS is the man who walked into a shop in Cholsey and stole a poppy tin just days before Remembrance Sunday.

Richard Richmond, 32, is starting a five-month jail sentence after he stole up to £50 of donations from the Tesco Express store CCTV images caught him untying the string attached to the Royal British Legion charity tin while staff were distracted at 7.30am on Monday, October 31.

Richmond, who lives in Tilehurst in Reading, was arrested on Armistice Day.

Linda Shoebridge, the Poppy Appeal organiser for Wallingford and Cholsey, said: “People like that cannot sink any lower. Next year we are hoping to get chains to tie our boxes down.”

Pc Becky Moran said: “I am pleased with the custodial sentence passed to Mr Richmond. To steal charity money which is given by hard-working members of the public and take it away from the people who most need it is a despicable act.”

Richmond admitted stealing the Cholsey poppy tin plus taking five charity boxes from Wokingham Pets in the Berkshire town between November 8 and 10.