Amazon delivery driver caught 'stealing from child' while dropping off parcel in shocking CCTV footage
An image of the delivery driver taking the pumpkin
JUSTIN THOMAS
An Amazon delivery driver has been accused of “stealing” a child’s pumpkin while dropping off a package.
Shocking CCTV footage showed the bearded delivery driver retrieving a pumpkin from the doorstep.
The unnamed man, who was dressed in a grey hoodie, placed the vegetable in his van before fleeing the scene on Saturday evening.
Justin Thomas' three-year-old daughter Lillianna-Rose was hoping to carve the pumpkin ahead of Halloween celebrations.
Freshly harvested pumpkins are sorted and stored at Oakley Farms near Wisbech in Cambridgeshire
PA
Thomas, 33, told Kent Live: “My daughter picked the biggest pumpkin she could find being a three-year-old.
“Instead of keeping it indoors where it could go funny, we left it outside behind the wall so no one could see it and thought we could bring it back in before Halloween so she could carve it.
“On Saturday I had an email saying a parcel had been delivered and left behind the wall.
“When I got home it was lashing it down with rain so I grabbed the parcel and took my youngest daughter inside.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:“It wasn't until I went downstairs the next morning I noticed the pumpkin had gone.
“I looked back on the cameras to see if anyone had been lurking and I discovered it was the delivery driver.”
The three-year-old’s uncle has since replaced the pumpkin but the family remains frustrated about the incident.
Thomas received an apology from Amazon as the firm launched an investigation into the incident.
The father-of-two was also offered a £20 reimbursement and a £25 gift card.
A spokesman for Amazon said: “We’re looking into this with our delivery service provider and we’re in direct contact with the customer.”
Responding to the delivery service’s probe, the binman said: “They said they will investigate what has happened but they can't keep me up to date because of data protection.
“I understand that, but I want to know if this driver is still out there visiting people’s properties.
A stock image of an Amazon delivery driver
PA“I would hate for someone to lose their job this close to Christmas, but this shouldn't be happening.”
A Kent Police spokesperson confirmed officers received a report about the alleged theft.
The force added: “Officers have received a report that a pumpkin was taken from outside a property in Tyler Hill Road, Blean.
“It is alleged to have occurred at about 4.40pm on Saturday.”