A blogger has handed footage he shot of a thief stealing an iPhone from a commuter’s bag to police.
Matt Parker was travelling on the 00.09 train out of Waterloo to Guildford when he spotted a drunk passenger wandering off without her bags.
The woman didn’t return and her phone began to ring. Parker answered the phone, informed the caller what had occurred and said he would hand her bags into Guildford station if she didn’t return.
Another passenger who had witnessed the events, appeared to be edging closer to the bag, before swooping in and snatching the iPhone.
Parker blogged: “I was – to say the minimum – outraged.
“So I began initially tell him to put the phone back before escalating to a full yelling-at, during which I had the presence of mind to turn my phone on and video the whole thing.
"I even asked him first if he minded me photographing him stealing the phone and he was so brazened, he held it up to pose with it. That is the screen-grab at the top of this page.”
Parker posted the video on YouTube and reported the matter to the British Transport Police, who are appealing for witnesses to come forward.
Detective Sergeant Daren Bates, of British Transport Police, told the Telegraph: "We would like to thank Mr Parker for bringing this to our attention and pay tribute to his quick-thinking in capturing the man's actions on video.
"The incident is being investigated and we will do all we can to identify the man responsible for this very shameless and brazen theft."
Warning: Video contains strong language