Prolific shoplifter Richard Brown, 46, admitted 20 thefts from shops including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Co-op, Greggs and JD Sport. He was jailed for 18 months
A serial shoplifter has been jailed after targeting High Street shops including Greggs, Co-op, JD Sport and M&S in a ‘one-man crime wave’.
Richard Brown, 46, admitted 20 thefts from shops which amounted to more than £1,500 worth of booze and food. Among the shops targeted were also Tesco and Sainsbury’s supermarkets. Police were alerted to Brown plaguing supermarkets and shops around Nottinghamshire during the summer.
CCTV caught him on July 18 in M&S Foodhall in West Bridgford where he stole four bottles of cognac and two bottles of rum worth £176. Footage showed him brazenly stuffing the booze into a bag before calmly walking out without paying.
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He was finally arrested on August 22 when police spotted him hiding behind a display in Specsavers. Brown repeatedly targeted supermarkets and shops in West Bridgford, Chilwell, Nottingham city centre, and Lenton between May and August.
On July 14, he stole from the Sainsbury’s petrol station on Castle Bridge Road four times on the same day. He stole alcohol, ice cream, and confectionery worth £40.
In total, Brown stole items worth £1,535, including bottles of alcoholic spirits, clothes, meat, and other food, from Greggs, JD Sport, Co-op, Tesco Express, Sainsbury’s, and Marks and Spencer. He also breached a criminal behaviour order, which banned him from certain supermarkets in the area.
Brown, of no fixed address, admitted 20 theft charges and breaching the order and was jailed for 14 months at Nottingham Crown Court. He was also ordered to pay a surcharge of £187. The court heard Brown has racked up a staggering 266 offences over the last three decades.
The sentencing is the latest following a series of arrests as Rushcliffe neighbourhood officers continue to crack down on prolific shoplifters, said Nottinghamshire Police in a press release. Steven McKinlay repeatedly targeted the Co-op in Wilford and Tesco Express at Compton Acres Shopping Precinct during a shoplifting spree between May and July.
The 30-year-old was charged with 23 counts of theft from a shop after stealing meat, confectionery, laundry, and other household products, worth a total of £2,224. He was also charged with breaching a criminal behaviour order after entering the Co-op store, which he was banned from, and possession of a Class B drug, namely Mamba.
McKinlay, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to all 25 offences when he appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on July 8. He was jailed for six months and was also ordered to pay £200 in compensation. Darren Smallwood repeatedly breached his criminal behaviour order by stealing from and entering the Co-op on Bridgford Road in West Bridgford between June and July.
The 38-year-old was charged with four counts of theft from a shop and three counts of breaching his criminal behaviour order after stealing alcohol, household, and laundry products worth £228 from Marks and Spencer and the Co-op. Smallwood, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to all seven offences when he appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on July 9 and was jailed for 11 months.
Inspector Tim Cuthbert, Nottinghamshire Police’s district commander for Rushcliffe, said: “We take reports of retail crime and shoplifting very seriously and work closely with businesses to identify and arrest prolific offenders. Brown’s behaviour and the distress caused to shop staff by repeatedly targeting the same businesses is completely unacceptable.
“Retail crime and shoplifting are a priority in Rushcliffe, and we remain committed to protecting businesses and ensuring offenders who cause the most harm are held accountable before the courts. Criminal behaviour orders have real teeth and are a useful tool to help us tackle the most persistent shoplifters.
“They have the power to ban offenders from entering specific shops, which often results in a custodial prison sentence if they are breached. We hope businesses are offered some respite by this prison sentence, and we will continue to locate, arrest, and crack down on nuisance shoplifters.”
