A HEARTLESS thief who mugged a pensioner while he was Christmas shopping in Taunton over the weekend is on the run.

The victim, a 77-year-old man, was followed by a man as he walked away from the Lloyds Bank cashpoint in Fore Street and into East Street, at about 12.15pm on Sunday (December 1).

The man grabbed the victim’s wallet from his back pocket, which had £160 cash in it, and ran off towards the vehicle archway opposite Primark, through Sainsbury’s car park and towards Silver Street.

Investigating officer PC Gary Pethick said: “The victim was going to use the money to get his Christmas shopping so this is a particularly heartless crime.

“The main CCTV image shows a man walking behind the victim, while the other two shows the man running away.

"I would like the public to help me identify this man, so if you recognise him, please give us a call as soon as possible.”

Police hope to trace the man pictured in connection to the incident.

If you can help, please call PC Gary Pethick or PC James Breakwell via the 24-hour non-emergency number 101.