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A thief has been jailed after he was caught red-handed by an off-duty police officer.
Kial Thompson, 31, of no fixed abode in Huntingdon, was spotted acting suspiciously down the alcohol aisle in Lidl, in Eaton Socon, at about 2.40pm on 17 December last year.
Thompson was seen by the off-duty officer stashing a bottle of wine under his jacket before making a dash to the exit.
The officer chased Thompson, stopped him in the foyer, and told him to hand over the stolen item.
After replying “alright, alright”, Thompson handed over the bottle of wine before pulling out a further two bottles and four packs of steak from his jacket, all amounting to £42.59.
Thompson was arrested at the scene and during a police interview, he admitted to stealing the items and said he “felt stupid” about the theft.
On Friday (February 2) at Huntingdon Law Courts, Thompson was sentenced to 11 months in prison after pleading guilty to theft at a previous hearing.
PC Gary English said: “Shoplifting can have a huge impact on both businesses and those who work for them and often comes hand-in-hand with other crimes, including criminal damage and violence.
“We hope this conviction will show Thompson and other shoplifters that our dedicated officers work hard to tackle this type of offending – both on and off duty.”