A dog snatcher stole a puppy from a 10-year-old boy outside a branch of Lidl before fleeing on a tram.
The young boy was approached by a youth who struck up a conversation outside the supermarket and asked to stroke Jessie, a Yorkshire terrier, in New Addington on Friday afternoon.
But the thief then grabbed the five-month-old puppy and ran off, leaving the youngster in tears. The culprit is believed to have boarded a tram.
The young boy had been waiting for his mother, who was inside the shop in Parkway buying milk and doughnuts for her children at the time.
Mum-of-three Monika Nowak, 28, told the Standard her son was devastated and has barely stopped crying.
She said: “He asked my son ‘can I touch her?’ and my son is a very kind boy and said no problem. Then he took her – he grabbed the lead and ran.
“I think whoever did this is just a monster – how you can take a dog from just a child I don’t understand.”
Ms Nowak appealed for help finding Jessie and offered a £100 reward for anyone who tracks her down.
The Metropolitan Police issued a description of the suspect. He was white, with short brown hair, aged about 15 to 20, and wearing black clothes.
The incident happened at about 3pm outside the supermarket in Parkway.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting CRIS 3835251/15, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via crimestoppers-uk.org.
