Moment thief tears bike from child's hands and rides off

This is the heartbreaking moment a thug steals a bike from a child in broad day light in the middle of a busy high street.

The thief struck on Monday on East Street in Chichester, West Sussex as the boy and a friend were sat on a bench.

As the pair chatted, the footage shows the man wearing a grey track-suit snatching the bike from the hands of its owner and taking off with it, with the youngster helpless to stop him.

CCTV footage shows the man standing seemingly on the phone to someone as the two youngsters sit on a nearby bench, engrossed in conversation.

One of the two has a scooter with him, whilst the other holds a bike in front of him.

Hanging up his phone call, the man then walks over to the two youths on the bench, who appear to be getting ready to leave.

As he draws near to the youths, he lunges for the bicycle, grabbing it by the seat and handlebars.

The child jumps to his feet and tries in vain to wrestle the bike back from the much stronger man.

Dressed in a grey tracksuit, the man pulls the bike from the youth's grip and makes off on it, jumping onto the seat and pedalling away.

Onlookers nearby witness the crime on the busy high street, but none make an attempt to stop the fleeing thief or help the youth, who can do nothing but watch on as his prized bike disappears.

The clip was shared to social media yesterday with the caption: 'Bike stolen off kid in Chichester today' and many have 

It has since received over 100 likes and dozens of comments from social media users enraged by the heartless thief's actions.

One user wrote: 'Cracking - what a first-class bully.'

Another said: 'Get this p***k caught.'

A third replied: 'Poor boy. I hope he gets it back.'

A fourth added: 'Still cleaning his nose from the previous line, the bike is for the next one.'

A fifth commented: 'Can we buy this boy a new one please? Anyone know him?'

Sussex Police have been contacted for comment.