Moment three-year-old girl stuffs sweets into her pyjamas after being 'trained to shoplift by a parent'

This is the moment a three-year-old stuffs sweets into her pyjamas after being 'trained by a parent', a store owner has said.CCTV shows a young girl, who shop owner Shamly Sud believed was not any older than three, grab bags of sweets from the shelves and put them in her pyjamas.The young girl was seen walking around the corner with an Oasis bottle in one hand as well as another item in the other hand in the Glasgow store in October.Dressed in Lilo & Stitch pyjamas, the youngster turns away from the camera as she stuffs 'high value American food products' into her clothing.She then grabs several packets of sweets from another shelf before setting her bottle down and hiding more items in her clothing.The tot later returned to pick up the items she had placed on the floor to take to the till, the owner, who has reported the incident to police, said.Ms Sud, 55, said she was left 'gobsmacked' by the CCTV, as she claims the toddler's parent and young sibling 'created a distraction' during the incident.She added that it was 'clear' the girl had been 'given instructions' by the mother as she moved with her back to the camera.'We found some items missing, and when we looked back on camera we were shocked to see it was a young child,' Ms Sud, who has worked full time in retail since 2011, said. CCTV shows a young girl, who shop owner Shamly Sud, believed was not any older than three, grab bags of sweets from the shelves and put them in her pyjamas The young girl was seen walking around the corner with an Oasis bottle in one hand as well as another item in the other hand in the Glasgow store in October'The child could not have been any more than three. She came in with a younger sibling and her mother.She added: 'I am just gobsmacked that such a young child has been trained to steal by a parent.'We have all been there when there is a child in a pram who has picked something up by mistake and been "oh my god" and taken it back.'But this was clearly calculated. The essence of a parent is to nurture children to be better than we are. But this child is clearly being taught to steal.'The independent retailer, who owns 11, said retail crime was the worst it had ever been.In June of this year, crime statistics showed there were 53,369 thefts from shops in Scotland, equating to 146 incidents every single day.The number of cases skyrocketed by 19 per cent compared to the previous year and nearly doubled in just a decade.The 55-year-old shop owner accused the mother of using another child, whom she believed to be around two years old, as a distraction.'The mum then proceeded to buy the items that were put down so you could see how it was all planned,' Ms Sud claimed.Adding that no child is 'born a thief', she said: 'They are taught to do that. It is purely on the mother.'Ms Sud has faced backlash since sharing the footage of the incident online; however, she insists it's important to raise awareness on the matter.'People have said they can not believe we have shared this - but the focus should be on the fact there are children being groomed as thieves from such a young age.'They don't appreciate how bad things are and how much this is happening in retail.'Everyone needs to focus on just how serious this all is. This is by far the worst it has ever been, and this is the most shocking thing I've ever witnessed.'It makes you worried for the future. Not only what kind of message this sends out, but how much worse things will get. There must be more of a deterrent.'And while the shop owner says she reports all thefts to the police, she knows 'deep down nothing will happen' but hopes 'they might act'.'We did the same with this incident but haven't heard anything back,' she added.Shamly, who runs six forecourts and five convenience stores, said: 'Seeing something like this, involving such a young child, is both ridiculous and terrible.'This is what needs to be addressed. There is no deterrent against retail crime. No one is scared of doing it anymore.'Mary Glasgow, chief executive of Children First, Scotland's national children's charity, said: 'We must not forget that children are the victims. The criminals are the adults who prey on their vulnerability, using fear and control to keep children trapped and silent. The 55-year-old shop owner accused the mother of using another child, whom she believed to be around two years old, as a distraction'The scars of exploitation like this can be profound and lifelong, deeply affecting a child's mental health, education and future. Child victims of exploitation need our compassion, understanding, protection and specialist support to recover - not blame.'Last month, Victims and Community Safety Minister Kirsten Oswald said it is important to recognise that children can be exploited into committing crime by serious organised criminals 'for their own despicable ends'.The Scottish Government is backing the Fearless campaign – a bid by Crimestoppers to encourage young people to report information around the exploitation of children and to help people get support.Scottish Grocers Federation chief executive, Dr Pete Cheema OBE, said: 'Reports of young children being used to shoplift are deeply concerning, raising alarming questions about the exploitation of vulnerable children by organised criminal groups.'