A THIEF was caught stealing a Lee Rigby Foundation charity box from a pub - by one of the soldier’s former comrades.

Stewart Spensley, landlord of The Two Tubs, gave chase after the collection box was taken from the bar.

The publican pursued the suspect along The Wylde and onto Bolton Street before detaining him.

Stewart served in the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers alongside Lee Rigby and was recommended for the Military Cross.

He told the Bury Times: “The man is clearly scum of the earth, after seeing what Lee Rigby’s parents, and everyone in our unit went through.

“For someone to go and steal this box is just disgraceful.

“Lee and I always got along incredibly well. I thought if his career as a soldier didn’t pan out, he’d go far as a comedian.

“After the chase, there were two ladies who saw the whole thing who gave a very generous donation of £30 and we would like to say a massive ‘thank you’ to them.

Samuel Hutchinson, the pub’s assistant manager, added: “We are very grateful to these two lovely ladies and what they did is a very nice, timely remainder that, despite what this man had done, there are still some wonderful people out there.”

Stewart served in the Army for 18 years in the British Army. He once spent 107 days in a trench under siege from the Taliban in Helmand Province in Afghanistan.

Because of his connections, he makes it a priority to support the Lee Rigby Foundation and donates his jukebox takings to the cause.

The pub also stages a weekly Military Monday charity promotion, giving out a free meal to any ex-servicemen at the pub to encourage more open discussion of mental health and post traumatic stress disorder among veterans.

Pub staff were told, after the suspect was arrested, that he had been involved in another theft locally.

Lee Rigby, from Middleton, was stabbed to death and decapitated in 2013 near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, London.