Jail and shop bans for prolific shoplifter

A prolific shoplifter who broke into staff areas of TK Maxx has been jailed and given a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) banning him from Peterborough stores.

On 26 October, Joshua Turner, 21, entered Sainsbury’s in Oxney Road, and stole six bottles of Jack Daniels worth a total of £210.

He returned to the shop just over a week later on 3 November, where he stole three bottles of Courvoisier Cognac worth £40 each. In an attempt to avoid being detected, he tried to leave through a staff-only warehouse area but was intercepted by a security guard who managed to retrieve the goods.

On 8 November, Turner, of no fixed address, entered TK Maxx in Queensgate shopping centre and managed to gain access to an area that is prohibited to members of the public, before being seen on camera trying doors of various offices.

Police were called after shop security managed to detain Turner, who claimed he was just looking for the toilet.

He was arrested and later charged with two counts of theft from a shop, burglary with intent to steal and failing to provide a sample for a class A drugs test.

Turner, who has 32 convictions for theft offences in the last three years, appeared at Peterborough Trial Court on Friday (5 January) where he was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison after pleading guilty to all offences.

He was also issued a two-year Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) which bans him from entering any Co-Op, Tesco, or TK Maxx in Peterborough.

PC Trevor McSparron, who investigated, said: “Thanks to the reporting of the businesses involved, we were able to identify another prolific offender and put them through the courts.

“With the CBO being granted, we now have greater powers when it comes to tackling Turner’s offending, if he is found to be in breach of the CBO, we are able to arrest him and put him back before the courts.”