Camilla Tominey wades into Waitrose sacking row after employee of 17 years fired for confronting shoplifter: 'Utterly ridiculous!'

Alex Davies
Mon, 06 Apr 2026 08:31:31 +0000

Camilla Tominey has joined the growing number of voices hitting out at supermarket chain Waitrose after a 54-year-old shop assistant lost his position for confronting a suspected shoplifter.

The employee was let go following the incident at Waitrose's Clapham Junction branch after nearly two decades of service. He intervened to stop a suspected thief making off with luxury chocolate products.

Walker Smith had been employed by the supermarket chain for 17 years when a customer approached him to report that someone was filling a carrier bag with Lindt Gold Bunny Easter eggs, which retail at £13 each.

Recognising the individual as someone who had previously targeted the store, Mr Smith seized the bag from the suspected shoplifter.

The person attempted to reclaim it, leading to a brief tussle that lasted several seconds before the bag tore open. The chocolate eggs scattered across the floor as the thief fled towards the exit.

One of the bunnies shattered, and Mr Smith picked up a fragment and threw it towards some trolleys "out of frustration," he told The Guardian, insisting he was not aiming at the fleeing individual.

Mr Smith received a reprimand from his manager and apologised, but the incident was escalated internally.

He acknowledged that staff had been instructed not to challenge shoplifters, yet years of witnessing theft go unpunished drove him to act.

The veteran employee described a constant stream of offenders ranging from drug users to young people walking out with bottles of wine tucked under their arms. "We're not allowed to do anything," he added.

Mr Smith claimed that security provisions at the store had been reduced, with no guards present on Mondays and Tuesdays because theft incidents were not being reported frequently enough.

This left regular staff members bearing the brunt of the problem.

After news of Mr Smith's dismissal hit headlines, several members of the public have condemned the decision. Now, Camilla has followed suit.

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"Utterly ridiculous - give this hero his job back!" Camilla implored on X on Sunday evening.

And it soon became clear that the majority of her followers were in agreement. "Exactly. Horrible by Waitrose!" one X user concurred.

"I'd not want my job back after that, tbh. Hopefully, one of the other big retailers will offer him a job," a second weighed in, while a third agreed: "He should have been given a pay rise not the sack."

Elsewhere, a fourth said in response to Camilla's post: "Waitrose has massively misunderstood their customer demographic in recent years. If they think their customers support this action, they deserve to fail." (sic)

Utterly ridiculous - give this hero his job back!

Waitrose sacks employee who stopped shoplifter from stealing Easter eggs https://t.co/vgtKbGv2H4
— Camilla Tominey (@CamillaTominey) April 5, 2026

Camilla isn't the only GB News star to publicly hit out at the decision. Patrick Christys similarly took to social media to express his dismay at the decision.

Patrick fumed: "So a bloke who worked for @waitrose for 17 years tackled a shoplifter in Clapham, the same area we’ve seen rampant lawlessness and Waitrose FIRED him?!

"Disgraceful. They should thank him & give him a pay rise. What message is Waitrose sending to employees and shoplifters?!" (sic)

In the aftermath of the incident, Mr Smith expressed regret about his response. "When I got home, I was punching myself and thinking, 'Why did I do that?'" he said.

Mr Smith, who has been diagnosed with anxiety, said his managers were aware of his condition.

Having only recently secured his own studio flat after spending 25 years sharing accommodation with flatmates, he now faces an uncertain future.

"I'm not too sure what's going to happen with this place now. I might be homeless. My confidence is on the floor right now," he said.

"I'm not a bad or violent or aggressive person. I just got frustrated seeing this day in and day out and not seeing Waitrose do much about it."

So a bloke who worked for @waitrose for 17 years tackled a shoplifter in Clapham, the same area we’ve seen rampant lawlessness … and Waitrose FIRED him?! Disgraceful. They should thank him & give him a pay rise. What message is Waitrose sending to employees…and shoplifters?!
— Patrick Christys (@PatrickChristys) April 5, 2026

A Waitrose spokesperson defended the company's position, stating that safety policies exist to protect both staff and customers. The retailer revealed that employees have previously been hospitalised after confronting shoplifters.

"There is a serious danger to life in tackling shoplifters. We refuse to put anyone's life at risk," the spokesperson said, adding that nothing sold in stores is worth risking lives for.

The dismissal comes amid soaring retail crime across England and Wales, with Office for National Statistics data showing 519,381 shoplifting offences recorded in the year to September 2025, a five per cent increase on the previous year.

Stuart Machin, chief executive of Marks & Spencer, urged the government and London's mayor on Friday to tackle retail crime, warning it has become "more brazen, more organised and more aggressive."