A MAN who stole a charity box collecting funds for cancer battler Bradley Lowery was jailed for 12 weeks yesterday, as a magistrate branded his actions 'despicable'.

Stephen Whitworth snatched the cash being raised for five-year-old Bradley, whose fight against neuroblastoma has touched the nation.

Homeless 35-year-old Whitworth was arrested after footage of him stealing the collection box from the counter of The Lunch Box in Yoden Road, Peterlee, on Sunday morning was released by police, sparking a public outcry.

He appeared at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court yesterday, where a solicitor and probation officer raised concerns for his safety in light of the publicity surrounding the offence.

Andrew Teate, mitigating, described the theft as "mean, callous and heartless" and said: "He (Whitworth) perhaps didn't realise his image was going to be shared all over social media and go viral.

"Someone has spoken to the probation approved accommodation (where Whitworth was residing) and 42 of the 49 have expressed a desire to cause him injury or do not want him to return to the premises. He is of no fixed abode on the basis he is not welcome.

"People are indicating they will harm this defendant for the offence that he has perpetrated."

Magistrates heard the defendant could be moved to outside the area while a probation officer said Whitworth was at risk of harm from others and at a high risk of re-offending.

Mr Teate said his client claimed he had not heard of Bradley, from Blackhall, County Durham, and had only pocketed £10, although police estimated the tin held £80.

During his mitigation the defendant interjected to tell magistrates he thought the charity box was for the Poppy Appeal.

Lynn Murphy, campaign manager for Bradley Lowery's fight against neuroblastoma, told The Northern Echo last night that she believed the charity involved was irrelevant.

Speaking on behalf of the family, she said: "Obviously this gentleman has some issues and we just hope he thinks next time before he decides to do something like this.

"We don't know his background but from what he has done he clearly has no morals.

"The fact that he doesn't know what it was for makes no difference - you don't steal from a charity or in general."

She also thanked those who supported the initial appeal.

"We can't thank the police enough for how quickly they solved this case, and through the help of the general public," said Ms Murphy. "We noticed how many times it had been shared online.

"It was an amazing response and the whole community pulled together."

Lesley Burgess, prosecuting, said Whitworth was captured on CCTV in the deli on Sunday and identified by officers.

In an interview he denied stills showed himself but accepted the suspect's description matched his clothing.

Chairman of the bench Anita Atkinson said: "This was a despicable crime. It didn't make a difference that it was Bradley Lowery, but that it was a charity box."

Whitworth, who appeared from custody in a grey T-shirt and blue Adidas jacket, is on post-licence supervision.

He was sentenced to 12 weeks in custody and was ordered to pay £80 compensation.

Sunderland supporter Bradley has already been a mascot for his team, as well as for Everton, and was invited to the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year show.

In December he received thousands of cards from around the world after an appeal to brighten up his Christmas, and the Football Association has invited him to lead out England against Lithuania in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley on Sunday.