Less than a week after Main Street was graced with Christmas decorations, a Grinch has attempted to ruin the festive spirit by stealing a Christmas tree that was dedicated to the RSL.
At around 5am on Friday, 12 December, one of the 16 Christmas trees along Main Street, Pakenham, was stolen by a single individual.
CCTV footage provided by Gerard Collins Real Estate to Pakenham Rotary shows the individual undoing the fencing wire that secured the tree to a light pole near the Mr Yakkerboo and Blue statue.
At one moment, a car approaches in the darkness of the early morning and the offender is seen hiding behind the tree as the vehicle passes by.
The individual uses a trolley they brought with them to transport the tree away. Once they free the tree, they then take it down the walkway between the Telstra Store and the Post Office toward the Pakenham Place car park, where they move out of frame.
Police are aware of the theft and the investigation remains ongoing.
The trees were installed by the Pakenham Rotary Club on Sunday 7 December, to bring Christmas spirit to the town centre. The trees were paid for by a generous donation from Pakenham Mowers & Chainsaws.
The tree that was stolen was dedicated to the Pakenham RSL, who provided its decorations. A sign was displayed on the tree acknowledging the RSL.
