Sweet shop thief meets a sticky end in Rhubarb and Custard trap

The owners of a sweet shop concealed cameras amongst the old fashioned jars and hid in the store all night dressed head to toe in black to catch a thief, a court heard.

Jane and Neil Hutton also set a series of bizarre 'booby traps' in their shop Beehive Treats which the culprit would set off when he raided the till.

They strategically placed rubbish-filled bin bags, bottles of cleaning products and cans of cream soda to create a noise if they fell asleep as they lay in wait.

Jane, 46, and Neil, 47, also covered the windows with bin liners to cut out all light as they waited to catch the thief who had been pilfering from their till.

The couple said 20 year old Oliver Longstaff, an employee, got the 'shock of a lifetime' after battling his way through the assortment of obstacles only to find them waiting for him.

They have dubbed their sting 'Operation Rhubarb and Custard'.

Mr Hutton said: "At every stage there were little traps, things that would tell us exactly where he was and what he was doing.

"First the Victorian shop bell rang as someone came in and then there was the sound of the Windowlene bottle being knocked over by the first till.

"Next came the rustling of someone fighting through full bin bags in the dark and then, and this was not in the plan, the sounds of the loo being used and flushed.

"We had to desperately stop ourselves from laughing.

"Next he tripped over the cans of cream soda placed to distract him as he approached our hiding place."

When Longstaff then crept out of the storeroom of the shop in Marlow, Bucks, the black-clad Huttons rushed him and locked the door until police arrived to arrest him.

It was a successful end to almost a week of detective work, triggered after they became suspicious about cash seemingly disappearing from the float left in the till overnight.

Before hiding in the stockroom they staked out the shop to see who was entering late at night and hid high-definition cameras amongst jars of sweets.

After identifying Longstaff from the footage they vowed to catch him in the act and hand him over to police.

Mr Hutton added: "He was charming and seemingly well-liked by everybody.

"We were disappointed because we have always invested in the young people of Marlow, who have been fantastic, and for one to go the other way is a shock."

Wycombe Magistrates' Court heard that Longstaff, an aspiring actor and former grammar school pupil, was stealing to pay off gambling debts which had spiralled out of control.

He had amassed debts of 545 pounds and been visited by debt collectors.

His solicitor Stephen Toghill said: "It was the panic caused by this debt collector turning up at his home.

"Basically he wanted to try and get some money quickly and he saw an easy option."

Longstaff, of Marlow, who is due to go to drama school next month, had

intended to re-gamble the cash to pay off the debt - but lost it again betting.

The court heard Longstaff, who appeared in Fame at Wycombe Swan last year, had brought shame on his family.

Mr Toghill said that by way of punishment he had been banned from a family holiday, had the offer of a new car taken away and been grounded by his parents, who also paid off his debt.

"His mother felt embarrassed to go into the town centre," added Mr Toghill.

Longstaff, who pleaded guilty to burglary, was handed a 12-month supervision order which involves him seeking treatment for his "gambling problem".

He was also ordered to do 40 hours unpaid work, pay £85 court costs and pay £158 to Beehive Treats - the amount of money he stole that night.

Sentencing Longstaff, magistrate Sandra Connor said: "You are young and we believe it is your youth and lack of experience leading you along.

"None the less, you betrayed your family and your employer's trust."

Outside court, Longstaff said it had been a "really tough time" for him but wanted a fresh start.

He said he hoped he could put it behind him and 'appear on screen one day'.


/The Telegraph/