Moment bakery bandit steals half of cake maker’s stock from her honesty box stall without leaving a penny

A home baker who opened an honesty box for cakes has had half her stock stolen by a bakery bandit. 

The pony-tailed crook licked his lips as he emptied the Treat Street Bake Shed in Spalding, Lincolnshire, and calmly walked away without paying a penny.

Owner Sabina Seidel, 39, started the cake shed in March as a way of bringing her dream of owning a bakery to life. 

She bakes a variety of home-made treats and fills the shed outside her front door, relying on the honesty of customers to pay by cash box or online.

But a hidden camera inside the shed captured the thief on May 9, as he piled 25 baked goods worth around £80 into a plastic bag before walking off.

The man opened the shed door with his red t-shirt covering his chin in an apparent attempt to hide his identity. He then slowly stole an assortment of baked goods while he licked his lips. 

After completely filling the plastic bag, the thief then tried to open the cash box before he walked away.

Seeing the man taking the treats on camera, Sabina initially thought he was a supportive customer and she came out to thank him before realising what had happened.

She said: ‘I went out and said thank you to him, thinking he paid by cash as he was walking off and he said “you’re welcome.”‘

‘It was only then because he left the shed door open as he was walking away, the penny dropped that he made off with the baked goods.

‘I’d assumed he paid by cash and I checked the cash box and he hadn’t put money in there.’

Sabina then reported the theft to Lincolnshire police.

The community responded to the bakery bandit’s theft by purchasing more of her treats with one customer even offering compensation. 

‘That day we sold out quickly because people came out to support me. 

‘People have been so supportive, there are repeat customers and customers that come at the same time every single week.

‘Somebody came yesterday after they heard what happened to put money towards what happened but I didn’t take it.’ 

In a video shared on social media, Sabina’s response to the theft was to bake even more than before.

She spent her evening baking, re-stocking the shed on Sunday. 

The Treat Street Bake Shed uses an honesty system with a QR code for card payments and a cash box for money and it is open Monday to Friday. 

Sabina prices the goods inside the shed then ‘customers tally up how much they’ve taken, scan the QR and pay the money.’

She opened the cake shed because she ‘always wanted a cake and coffee shop’ but didn’t have the time to open a bakery.

Lincolnshire Police told the BBC it was investigating a report of cakes and cookies being stolen from the stall in Spalding between 19:25 and 20:00 BST on Saturday.

A spokesperson said no arrests had been made.

The Daily Mail has also approached the force for comment.