Bizarre second shameless thief steals 7ft life-sized Christmas nutcracker from TK Maxx
Ross Lawrence Smith, 47, was reportedly captured picking up the 7ft (2.1m) doll and leaving the major off-price retailer shop in broad daily light just before Christmas
The man was captured on CCTV trying to get away with the 7 foot figure(Image: CPS / SWNS)
Christmas is supposed to be a time for giving, but one scrooge saw it as the season to steal. This is the bizarre moment a shameless thief stole a life-sized Christmas nutcracker from a TK Maxx store and was captured on video footage.
Ross Lawrence Smith, 47, was captured picking up the 7ft (2.1m) doll and leaving the shop in broad daily light just before Christmas. Now, a court has seen the moment he thought he would be able to sneak out with the giant Christmas figure under his arm from a TK Maxx.
CCTV captured him brazenly taking the statue – which was valued at £249.99 – before making his getaway in full view of shoppers and staff.
The theft took place on December 3 last year at Tk Maxx in Newport, Isle of Wight but unsurprisingly, he did not get far. Shop workers called police who quickly were able to identify and apprehend him as he attempted to sneak away.
Smith, of East Cowes, Isle of Wight, admitted one count of theft from a shop at Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court on March 17. He narrowly avoided jail after Isle of Wight magistrates extended an existing suspended sentence to 15 months.
The court heard Smith was subject to a suspended six-month sentence imposed in April 2025 for possession of a knife and an active community order. He also owed just under £1,500 in court fines and costs.
Magistrates ordered Smith to pay £249.99 in compensation to TK Maxx before extending the suspended sentence order by three months. Some criminals will sink even lower, as shown in previous shocking CCTV footage.
Last year, a heartless thief went “as low as it gets” as he boldly stole from a pub’s charity donation box. CCTV footage showed the moment a man swiped a charity donation box from The Queen’s Head, a pub located in Aylesbury, Bucks.
The outrageous incident reportedly happened in December, a few weeks before Christmas. According to the recording of the incident, the culprit was standing at the bar while seemingly waiting to be served, the Daily Star previously reported.
While unsuspecting workers were speaking to other customers, the thief could be seen snatching the charity tin and slipping it beneath his jacket. The workers, left completely appalled, went on to release a public statement denouncing the theft, branding the culprit as “as low as it gets”.
They wrote: “Someone has stolen a charity box from our premises today. Let’s be absolutely clear – this money was not ours. It was being raised to help others, and taking it is disgraceful.
“CCTV is in place and is being reviewed. This matter will be passed on.
“If the person responsible is seeing this, you have one chance to do the right thing and return what you took. If anyone recognises anything suspicious or has any information at all, please message us privately.
“We rely on our community to stand together and protect what’s right. Stealing from charity is as low as it gets.
“Let’s get this sorted.”
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