Topless thief steals plant from nurse’s garden — then returns it saying he was ‘steaming’ drunk
The shirtless man was recorded on a doorbell cam walking off with a monkey puzzle tree
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.This is the moment a topless thief was caught on camera stealing a plant from a garden then returning it days later - apologising and saying he was ‘f*cking steaming’.
The shirtless man was recorded on doorbell cam walking off with the monkey puzzle tree from nurse Gemma Brady’s front yard in in Heol Brown Tycroes, Ammanford, Wales.
The NHS worker woke on Friday after a night shift and was “shocked” to discover that a stranger had been recorded carrying her plant away from her house.
After sharing the footage online, the nameless individual returned to the scene the next morning.
He was filmed explaining he was “f*** steaming” when he took it from Gemma’s home.
The man said he’d woken up with in his house and would return it - which he did first thing on Monday morning.
Gemma, a 44-year-old junior sister at Glangwili Hospital, said: “The whole thing has been ridiculous to be honest.
“His excuse was that he was steaming and his mates egged him on.
“But it was 4.20 in the afternoon he was wearing work clothes and my street isn’t on the way home from any pubs!”
Gemma said she uses gardening as a form of relaxation, and had been growing the monkey puzzle tree in her front garden since it was a tiny seedling.
When she saw her doorbell footage before leaving for another nightshift, the nurse immediately shared the clip on social media.
It received more than 18,000 views in a matter of hours, with most viewers bewildered by the strange behaviour.
Gemma said: “He has been back since and said he was ‘steaming’ and his mate ‘egged him on’, but there is no way that was the case as he just carried it out with ease.
“He told me his wife had given him a telling off because he was all over Facebook.”
On Saturday the man returned to apologise and said he had woken up with the tree in his living room.
He said it was safe and promised to return it after finishing a few jobs he had in the area.
Gemma had been left in the dark until this morning, when her beloved tree was “dumped” in her driveway at 9:45am.
She said: “I think he was feeling a bit camera shy this morning which is why he avoided the doorbell.
“The main thing is the tree is back in one piece although it is a bit bent - not surprising the way it’s been dragged around.”
She added: “I’m relieved it’s back but disappointed that both trees now have to be put somewhere else, because he’s demonstrated that nothing is safe!”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments