AN AGGRESSIVE thief hit a shop worker in the face with a door and tried to force his way behind the tills in One Stop.

Now police have issued a CCTV appeal in a bid to trace the man following an incident in the Horton Road store in East Dorset on Wednesday May 6.

The man, who appeared to be intoxicated, entered the store at 7.25pm and selected three bottles of cider.

Staff explained that they could not sell him the alcohol as per store policy.

The man then became aggressive and accused a member of staff of stealing his bank card. The offender then placed his hands behind the till screens before attempting to enter the area behind the tills. A member of staff locked the entrance to the till area and activated the store’s panic button.

The offender then picked up the cider and left the store without paying. He then placed them on the ground in the car park outside and returned to the store, at which point the victim – a male staff member - went to close the door. However, the offender ran toward it, causing the glass to break and the door to hit the victim in the face.

The offender then grabbed the victim by the hair before losing his grip. The victim then managed to close the door and the offender was seen to leave, pick up the bottles and walk away.

Police Community Support Investigator Kate Hann, of East Dorset police, said: “We have made efforts to identify the offender but these have so far been unsuccessful.

“As part of my enquiries I have now obtained CCTV images of a man I would like to speak to. If you recognise him from the images, please get in touch.”

Information to Dorset Police on 101, quoting occurrence number 55200064169 or the free and anonymous Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.