A THIEF repaid an act of kindness by stealing hundreds of pounds from a Hampshire charity that helps disabled children.

The thief targeted a Christmas fair staged by Riding for the Disabled and snatched the takings after being given a piece of cake by one of the volunteers.

The fair, organised by the Bramshaw group of the charity, was held at Lyndhurst Community Centre.

Midge Hargreaves, the group’s secretary and organiser, said: “We were clearing up in the kitchen at the end of the day when a young lad asked if there was any free cake going.

“We gave him a piece and he actually stood there eating it with us.”

Seconds later he was seen running across a neighbouring car park and a bag containing about £500 was found to be missing.

The fair is one of the group’s main fundraising events of the year but the theft of almost all the takings left members with just £50 to show for all their hard work. One of the helpers at the event said: “I felt sick when I realised what had happened – we were all devastated.

“We’ve got some money in the bank and have got enough to keep going but our capital is going down all the time because we spend £4,000 a year on hiring horses.

“Stealing from anyone is terrible but stealing from a charity is even worse. The culprit must be completely without a conscience.”

Police are hoping he was captured on CCTV as he ran across the car park and made off in the direction of the High Street.

He is described as white, about 5ft 10in, aged in his mid 20s with dark, medium-length hair. He was wearing a dark jacket, dark blue jeans and a blue and white bobble hat.

A police spokesman said officers want to hear from anyone who saw the incident at about 3.50pm last Thursday.