Wisbech thief kept stealing while on court bail

A well-known Wisbech thief has been jailed after he kept stealing while waiting to appear in court.

Ricky Lake, 35, was arrested in Fairbrother Pharmacy, Church Terrace, Wisbech, on 25 May after he was identified as wanted for four thefts. He was charged and bailed but failed to appear at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on 12 June.

He was arrested again by plain-clothed neighbourhood officers in Redwing Drive, Wisbech, on 15 July after he was found to have committed further offences since being bailed in May.

Lake, of Kingfisher Drive, Wisbech, appeared at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court on 16 July and was sentenced to three months in prison and ordered to pay £49.98 in compensation to Boots, £27.97 in compensation to B&M and £56.50 in compensation to Tesco, after admitting six offences:

• Theft of £27.97 of cleaning products from B&M in Cromwell Road, Wisbech, on 13 May
• Theft of a bottle of alcohol and two chocolate giftboxes from Tesco Extra, Cromwell Road, Wisbech, on 18 May
• Theft of various items from Wisbech Recycling Centre on 19 May
• Theft of a parcel from a house in Weasenham Lane, Wisbech on 19 May
• Fraud by false representation, namely spending £111.44 in Shops For You, Victoria Road, Wisbech, using a bank card stolen from a car in Grove Gardens, Elm, on 27 May
• Theft of £49.98 of razors from Boots, Horsefair shopping centre, Wisbech, on 15 June

PC Lewis Roulstone, who investigated, said: “Lake is a well-known offender in Wisbech, and I hope this work shows local people we are listening to their concerns and will continue to tackle prolific offenders.

“Shoplifting and associated crime in Wisbech is a priority for our local officers and reporting from businesses, regardless of the value, allows us to continue identifying offenders and putting them before the courts.”