THIS is the moment when a mystery thief snatched the wallet of a serving Tamworth soldier – on the day he arrived home from Afghanistan.

Pte Hayden Smith (19), who serves with 3 Mercian, had used the self service checkout at Asda in Ventura Park, but inadvertently left his wallet on the counter.

This week, just days after Remembrance Day, police released a sequence of CCTV pictures in a bid to identify the thief.

The pictures clearly show the woman behind him in the queue spot the wallet, look around to check no-one was watching, and then steal it.

The incident happened at around 6pm on July 29, but the images have only just been released.

Pte Smith’s wallet contained £800 – and his army ID card.

He told the Herald: “I had come home on two weeks R&R that day and we were planning a family party in the evening, so I had just gone to Asda to buy a few things.

“It was only when I go to another shop that I realised I had left my wallet in Asda, so I went straight back there.

“But in the space of just 15 minutes it had gone.

“I had been saving for a car for the three months while I was in Afghanistan and the £800 was the money I had left after buying the car.

“It must have seemed like Christmas to the woman who stole it when she saw all that money.

“My mum was angrier about it than I was. She died recently – and at the time she had just started her cancer treatment and it really upset her that someone could do something like this.

“I was annoyed about it, but I was more annoyed because it contained my army ID card and I couldn’t fly back to theatre without it – I had to go to London to get a replacement.”

Chief Inspector Ian Coxhead of Tamworth Police said: “The clarity of the CCTV images should act as a warning to all those committing such offences – the likelihood of being caught is high and we are expecting this woman to be identified.”

Anyone who can identify the woman of who has information should contact Tamworth Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.