Pensioner's heartbreaking video after thieves steal purse during Coalville shopping trip

A pensioner has released an emotional plea online after she claimed her purse was stolen from her trolley while she was out shopping.

Pauline Walker was out shopping in Coalville on Saturday February 8 when she says it was taken.

The 86-year-old from Thringstone, near Coalville said: "I was in the chemist and I bought things in there on my card, and after I paid I put my purse back in my trolley, and then I went to have a little look in a couple of shops.

"I then wanted to get something to eat, so I went into a cafe and ordered a cup of tea and a piece of apple shortbread.

"The tea was taking a while, so I left my trolley and went to ask at the counter if they'd forgotten it, but they just said they were busy and it would be coming soon, so I sat back down."

After having her tea and shortbread, she says she went to have a look in another shop and went into her trolley to get her purse to find a piece of paper with what she needed to buy written on it.

However, when she went into her trolley to find it, she realised her purse had gone.

She added: "In the cafe was the only time I left it alone, so it must have been taken then."

Pauline originally thought she had left it somewhere, but claims she later discovered when she got home that her bank had found some unusual transactions on the card.

Fortunately, her bank have refunded all the purchases made.

Pauline said: "The bank had phoned my husband even before I got home to tell him.

"I feel sorry for the person - they must have been hungry because they went straight to Gregg's to use it."

She added: "There wasn't much money in it, only a tenner, but I am a sentimental person about these things."

In the purse, Pauline had a little notebook with all of her children's phone numbers in, a book of stamps, a key for a disabled toilet and a piece of paper listing all the medications she can't take.

Pauline was very upset about the whole ordeal, and said she was struggling to sleep following the incident.

She said: "It's really upset me. It's horrible.

"When you are 86 you don't get over things like this."

Pauline has a popular Instagram account with her husband Geoffrey, 89, with more than 100,000 followers and following the theft, Geoffrey posted an emotional video appeal for information on the stolen purse.

The video has since had more than 139,000 views and has garnered more than 28,000 likes, with comments of support flooding in from all over the world.

In the video Geoffrey explains what happened, while his wife stands next to him crying.

The couple said that following the plea online, they had offers of gifts and money, but have declined them.

Geoffrey also said that someone had set up a JustGiving page for the couple, but they declined the money from that too, and it has since been refunded to the donors.

Pauline said she just wants the purse back for sentmentality.

Pauline said: "It's very nice to have all that support.

"Everybody on Instagram says they love me and my husband.

"This just shows there are some good people in the world, as well as some wicked ones."

Geoffrey and Pauline have not reported the incident to Leicestershire Police, because they say they just want to 'move on' from the incident.