1 week Ago By [email protected] (Daniel Jaines)
The owners of a business have made light of a burglary in which a man stole two vapes and an energy drink, worth £9.99. The Vape HQ in St Peter’s Hill in Grantham was targeted, when the culprit smashed the window with a metal bar at about 3am.
It triggered the alarm system which alerted the area manager who spotted the culprit on the internal CCTV, and they called police. Officers arrived and arrested the culprit - Lee Martin - as he “casually” left the shop, through the broken window. The business yesterday hung up a vinyl poster over the boarded-up window, featuring CCTV stills of the incident and making fun of the amount Martin stole.
The sign reads: “Someone smashed our window for this exact combo...
it’s a steal! (Come through the front door).” Karen Uniacke, head of business development at VapeHQ Ltd, said the sign had already caused a stir. “I know, it's tongue-in-cheek, but you have to add humour to these situations.
.. it's already causing some attention and laughter as people pass by,” she said.
Martin, 35, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to burglary at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on March 31, following the incident which took place on March 29. “As this was specialised glass (the store was previously a bookies), this took a considerable amount of time and effort,” said the spokesperson. Council-operated CCTV had already alerted police officers, who were waiting for Martin outside the premises.
“Once in the store, the male suspect very kindly wiped the blood from his hands before opening our fridge door — our shops are renowned for cleanliness, so this was much appreciated,” added the spokesperson. “He then helped himself to a can of Monster energy drink and carefully chose his favourite Lost Mary flavours, before casually exiting the store to be promptly arrested by waiting police officers.” Martin pleaded guilty at the first hearing into the offence and was sentenced to a community order, rehabilitation activity requirement.
He must also pay compensation of £100..
