Suppose it's easy to say with hindsight but, I mean, all the red flags were there, and he saw the red flags himself, but took the risk...as I'm sure we've all done
Wonder what he was distracted by, though? It's all a bit vague, but doesn't read like what's technically called a distraction theft, where it's the perps who do the distracting to perpetrate the theft
But at 76-years-old - and I sincerely hope I'm well out of it years before I get to that age
- maybe the likes of Uber does have its attractions to avoid stuff like this...
Southend taxi driver cash bag stolen by balaclava-clad thugshttps://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/248275 ... lad-thugs/BALACLAVA-clad thugs stole £200 in cash from a cabbie before going on a spending spree using his card after fleeing his taxi without paying.John Chapman, 76, has spent 20 years working across Southend but was left devastated on New Year’s Eve when two men stole cash and his wallet - including valuable family photos - from his taxi.
After pulling over to drop the two men off at Cash Converters on Southchurch Road, they quickly fled the cab while John was distracted.
However John, who works for Andrews Taxis, then realised the men had taken advantage of his distraction to swipe a black leather “shaving bag” containing cash and his wallet.
Since the theft on Tuesday morning, at about 10am, the thugs have used cards to spend about £100 in shops around Southend.
Although frustrated, John is desperate to get back his wallet as it contained valuable family photos of his late mum and grandmother.
John said: “To be honest, I was apprehensive about picking the pair up as they had face coverings which was really worrying.
“I have been doing this job for 20 years and this kind of thing has never happened, I haven’t had a runner for three years and nowadays probably about 90 per cent of my takings are with card.
“They were pure opportunists and they must have seen my bag on the seat, I can only get angry at myself for leaving it there and the anxiety comes into it as I have around a dozen family pictures.
“There are pictures of my nan, her sisters, my mum, my wife and two daughters and some of my twin grandsons.”
The cards in the wallet have been used in four shops “to the equivalent of £100”.
John added: “They don’t think about it, it isn’t in their mind to think about their responsibility and what they have done.
“It is what it is but I am trying to get over it, I did not go to work yesterday.
“It was a lot of money but the thing that still worries me the most is that I lost photography of mum, who I lost when I was six, and my nan, and they are important to me.”
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