A man has been arrested on suspicion of theft and burglary after a 12-year-old boy's foodbank was raided by a thief wearing a Halloween panda mask.
Isaac Winfield was left devastated after a lowlife crook targeted the charity, which he runs from his garden shed in Redditch, Worcs.
He set up his first foodbank during the pandemic after being inspired by Marcus Rashford and has since opened four sites in total - using his own birthday money.
But earlier this month, CCTV footage captured an intruder breaking into the foodbank at his family home wearing a bizarre black and white panda mask.
The shelves were stripped bare and around £50 worth of items was stolen during the break-in on October 2.
Since then, Isaac has received a £1,000 donation after appearing on ITV’s This Morning and supermarket Aldi donated £500 worth of products.
And West Mercia Police revealed today (Wed) a 38-year-old man has now been arrested in connection with the theft.
A force spokesperson said: "The arrest comes after a burglary at Isaac’s foodbank in Redditch and a theft from Home Bargains in Redditch.
"The 38-year-old remains in police custody."
The youngster previously won the heart of the nation when he used his birthday money to launch his first foodbank during the Covid pandemic.
Isaac gathered donations of food and toiletries from local businesses and wellwishers which he then handed out to those in need of extra support.
He started his Friend’s of Isaac’s Food Bank group on Facebook which went viral and now helps hundreds of families every week.
He managed to send out a staggering 4,000 food parcels this year alone before the theft just days before his 12th birthday.
Mum Claire Chapman, 43, said: “"When I first looked at the CCTV, I thought it was Mickey Mouse in the shed, but when he turned around, it was this grotesque and creepy panda Halloween mask.
“Isaac is absolutely crushed. It was his 12th birthday on Wednesday and all he asked for was a van full of food so he could continue giving back to the community.
“We spread the word on social media, and we’ve had donations from all over the world, so he was really excited.
"It’s just so wicked that someone could do this.”
Claire said the CCTV showed the thief making two trips into the shed filling up bags of food and hanging around the family home for around 40 minutes.
She added: “This was an invasion of my home that’s left me feeling so vulnerable especially as Isaac could have woken up in the middle of the night and seen this scary man walking around the house."
The youngster, who was born with a rare chromosome disorder, started the foodbank after learning that his new school didn’t accept food donations.
Claire said: “Isaac is an incredible boy who has overcome so much so to see this happen is just heartbreaking.
"He has made 4,000 food parcels already this year and the work the food bank does is so vital for the community.
“We work with families who spend each day counting the pennies.
"We’re a lifeline and this will have a long-term impact as it will set us back in terms of opening more sites for the community.”
Isaac said: "This man came into my foodbank and robbed it. He was wearing a scary panda mask. We had CCTV and my mum phoned the police.
"I'm spending all my money for my fifth food bank on alarms for the rest of the foodbanks."
To donate to Isaac's foodbank appeal, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/friends-of-isaacs-food-bank?member=17764171&sharetype=teams&utm_campaign=p_na+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer
