Watch the moment a heartless burglar breaks into Leeds Kitty Cafe and makes off with charity cash

Staff were alerted to the break-in at 11.50pm on Sunday night, when the thief set off the security alarms at the cafe on Kirkgate.

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Police attended the scene but the burglar had already made off with cash from a donations box and a laptop.

The front windows had been smashed in, forcing the cafe to close while repairs take place.

CCTV footage shows the burglar using a metal bar to force their way into the donations box and escape with the cash.

It is the second time the cafe has been broken into and the damage caused by the last break in cost thousands of pounds to repair.

Kate Charles-Richard, director at Leeds Kitty Cafe, said: "Although the burglar only made off with a small amount of cash, it's the damage to the cafe that will hit us hard.

"We are now looking at ways to reinforce the windows without making it look like a kitty prison!

"Thankfully, the cats were fine. They are in a separate, secure cattery and the police went straight in to make sure they were okay.

"It's just really sad what people are willing to do. The cats won't be able to come out for a while or get into their normal routine.

"But on the other side, we have had a heartwarming response from the community."

After being flooded with messages from people wanting to help, the cafe has set up a Just Giving page to help fund the repairs.

A spokesperson from West Yorkshire Police said: "At 12:08am today (22/7) police received a report of a burglary at the Kitty Café in Kirkgate, Leeds, which had occurred at about 11.50pm on Sunday night.

"A suspect smashed a window to gain entry before prising open a drawer containing donations and removing it along with a laptop computer.

"Officers attended and searched the area but the suspect had left the scene."

Anyone with information about the incident should contact police on 101 quoting crime reference number 13190371676.

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