Brazen thief shows middle finger before snatching doorstep delivery - but victim has last laugh

A brazen thief stuck his middle finger up at a camera before swiping a delivery from outside a couple’s front door - but the victims had the last laugh, with the box containing only fruit and vegetables.

The opportunistic criminal must have thought he was stealing a box with valuable contents inside when he walked to the front of the property in Brislington this morning (April 21) at around 6.30am.

So cocky was the masked man, that he even swore at a camera on an outside window sill before snatching the item.

However, the thief was likely to have been left disappointed on opening the box and finding it filled with fruit and vegetables - a £17 delivery from company Oddbox, which diverts food unsuitable for supermarkets from landfill.

Victim Rachel Chen, aged 35, posted the video on her local Facebook group - Brislington Community Page - and said: “Just a heads up - had a parcel stolen from in front of our door this morning.

“Can only imagine he was incredibly disappointed to find it was a fruit and veg box.”

Speaking to BristolWorld, Mrs Chen said despite having the regular delivery from OddBox for the past year, it was the first time a box had been stolen from outside her property in Hollywood Road.

She believes the broken front gate may have alerted the thief to the box, delivered at 12.30am today.

“When I found it wasn’t there I went to look at the camera we put out for hedgehogs and I saw the man coming into the front garden and taking the box,” she said.

“It was annoying - it wasn’t valuable and contained just fruit and veg. Part of me thought of the disappointment he’ll get when actually opening it.”

Mrs Chen has been given a refund from Oddbox for the box and says she will now look to provide a safer place for deliveries at the home.

She added: “It is just frustating I suppose that people will see a parcel outside a home and go and help themselves.”

Her post on the Facebook group did prompt some amusing responses.

One user said: “Even criminals have to keep healthy.” Another said: “Hope he enjoys his banana and sour grapes.”

Mrs Chen is not the only victim to have reported a theft of a parcel from her home - at least 40 thefts involving Amazon parcels or deliveries were reported to Avon and Somerset police last year.

In Bristol, Staple Hill and New Cheltenham was the police area with the most (four), followed by Filwood, Henbury and Brentry, Southmead (all with two), according to figures obtained by BristolWorld.

Police website police.uk provides crime prevention advice, including against theft from people’s doorsteps. It suggests people install a video doorbell or a security light, or use an off-site locker service for frequent deliveries.