POLICE have reunited a hairdresser with a charity box in the shape of a dog after a man was convicted of stealing it from outside a salon in Upper Norwood.
The distinctive box, moulded in the shape of a guide dog, was stolen - along with the estimated £105 it contained - from outside Hair by Jay Michaels in Westow Street on January 11.
Officers from Upper Norwood Safer Neighbourhoods Team investigated and recovered the charity box from Neil Cordell's house in Hermitage Road.
Cordell, 31, appeared via video link at Camberwell Green Magistrates' Court on April 2 and pleaded guilty to theft.
He was sentenced to eight weeks, suspended for six months, and fined £200.
PC Alex Woolley, part of the investigating team, said: "We're glad that we have been able to reunite the shop and the community with the iconic charity box. It's a much-loved feature of the area and also supports a great cause, so a lot of people were upset when it was stolen.
"The dog has taken pride of place in the area for many years, raising hundreds, if not thousands of pounds for the Guide Dogs for the Blind charity. Hopefully it will be there now for many years to come."
