Thieves take iPad from child out shopping with his mum in Preston

Fulwood mum, Joanne Greenhalgh, was shopping with her son Jaxon in the Serve Our Community shop on Friargate at around 12.40pm on Saturday February 3 when thieves struck.

The seven-year-old placed the iPad to one side while he looked at a wooden pull along toy. Shortly after his mum went to retrieve the iPad to find it had gone.

Joanne is now appealing for the thieves to return the iPad which Jaxon received as a Christmas present.

She said: "We went into town and stopped off at the charity shop. Jaxon was looking at a pull along dog, and put his iPad down.

"A couple of minutes later I went to get it and couldn't find it.

"We looked for it everywhere but it had gone. There were other people in the shop at the time.

"He is a very upset little boy and is desperate to get his iPad back that Father Christmas brought him. He keeps asking for it all the time - he really wants it back.

"It's very important to him, it helps him with a lot of his learning and it's the only time he sits down still.

"He got it for Christmas and has only had it for a couple of months - it's a real shame.

"We would really appreciate if someone would do the decent thing and return it to us. This could even be done anonymously.

"We are very grateful of all the offers of iPads from people. All we want is to know the whereabouts of Jaxon's iPad and hope that someone could get it back to us."

Police confirmed they had received reports of an "opportunistic" theft at a Preston charity shop.

A spokesman for the police said: "We received reports of a theft in Preston City Centre.

"It seems an iPad Air 2 32gb in grey was taken which at the time of theft was in a bright blue silicone case.

"Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting log reference 0757 of February 3."