A JACKET which was snatched from a charity shop raising money to help sick children has been returned... along with a letter of apology

Volunteers working for Colchester Children’s Charity were left sickened by the actions of a shoplifter who targeted a store in Old Heath Road.

The culprit was captured on CCTV removing a black, Sgt Pepper-style jacket from a mannequin, before stuffing it into her bag and leaving the shop.

After appealing to identify the shoplifter and receiving an “overwhelming” response from the public, the jacket was found at the rear of the shop on Saturday morning along with a note.

The note said: “Please deliver this jacket to your other shop across the road, deepest apologies.”

Roy Kemp, a trustee with the charity, said he was grateful for the support the charity had received.

He said: “We have been overwhelmed with the response after sharing the CCTV footage.

“Over the weekend a plastic bin bag was found at the back of the shop.

“It contained the jacket and an apologetic note. It is great to get the jacket back.”

Mr Kemp praised the public for their support.

He said: “We were sent a cheque for £25 after someone from London read the story.

“He said he was disgusted with what happened.”

Mr Kemp said the response had restore his faith in human nature.

“It is just so lovely to get something good out of this nasty situation.

“I couldn’t believe it, there are some good people in the world.

“It does restore your faith in humanity.”

After the Gazette’s appeal for information attracted national publicity, Mr Kemp has now decided to raffle off the “famous” jacket to raise further funds for the charity.

He said: “It is a famous jacket now, we have had people reading the story in national papers.

“But it is thanks to the Gazette the jacket has been returned.

“Maybe now we can end this positively by raffling it off and raising some money. This goes to show how important it is to have proper CCTV.”

Colchester Children’s Charity raises thousands of pounds every year to help ill and disabled children who live in north Essex.

It previously had three shops in the town but closed its Mersea Road store in August last year due to a shortage of volunteers.

In the past year the small group has raised £72,000 thanks to items sold in their shops.

The charity say they have always had an issue with shoplifting but hope sharing footage of the culprits caught red-handed will now deter would-be thieves.

Tickets for the raffle cost 50p and can be purchased by visiting the shop or calling 01206 866283.