A THIEF who posed as a patient stole from reception staff at a Leigh dentist.

The 51-year-old who works at Leigh Dental Centre on London Road, had her iPhone XR taken by a “patient” who was complaining of toothache.

The man leant over the desk, covered her phone with a magazine and quickly left the surgery with it, taking with him photos of her dad who passed away a few years ago.

The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I was trying to get an appointment for the man, but he didn’t speak much English, so I gave him a piece of paper to write his name and address on.

“He wrote his name down and gave it back, so I told him I’d need more detail to be able to help.

"At the same time as he put the paper down, he had a magazine in his hand which was covering my phone. He started to point to the magazine as a distraction, and must’ve picked up my phone at the same time.

“He said ‘I’ll be back’ and just walked away. As he started to leave I realised what he’d done and went into instant shock. I was only worried about the pictures of my dad.

The woman, who has worked at the surgery for five years, continued: “Adrenaline kicked in and I chased after him until I couldn’t see him anymore.

"He got in a Silver Audi A4 which was waiting for him outside.

"They started to drive the wrong way down a one way street and a driver had to slam on their breaks to avoid an accident.

“All I was trying to do was help him – I never expected that to happen. My boss had to call the police for me because I was in such a state.”

Thankfully, the victim’s daughters have managed to back up the files which were on her phone, meaning she has the pictures of her dad back. Her phone is still missing.

She said: “The whole thing was horrible and I had such a strong feeling of pain in my chest from the shock. The most important thing is that I’ve got the pictures back.

“I don’t want this to happen to anyone else – luckily there were a few witnesses, one of whom managed to get the car’s registration. Nobody should have this worry in their head, and I feel like I just keep reliving it all.”

Call Essex Police on 101 with information.