Peterborough meat thief jailed

A man who breached his Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) twice to steal nearly £100 worth of meat has been jailed.

On 9 February, Mark Moss, 36, was captured on CCTV entering Co-Op, High Street, Eye, and putting six steaks into a bag. He was verbally aggressive to a member of staff who confronted him before leaving the shop without paying.

He returned to the shop five days later, where he was caught concealing eight packets of meat in his jacket before again leaving without paying.

These offences put Moss in breach of the two-year CBO that he was made subject of in January after being convicted of 16 shoplifting offences, which stated that he must not enter the Co-op in Eye High Street and Aldi in One Retail Park, including both of their car parks.

Moss was arrested at his home address in Branston Rise, Parnwell, in the early hours of Thursday morning (29 February) and later charged with two counts of theft from a shop and two breaches of his CBO.

He appeared at Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court on the same day, where he admitted the offences and was sentenced to 18-weeks in prison and ordered to pay £96 in compensation to the Co-Op.

PC Sam Darling, who investigated, said: “When he was arrested, Moss immediately admitted that he knew what he had done was wrong, but proceeded to do it anyway.

“Thanks to the CBO, we have greater powers when it comes to his offending as we are able to arrest him even if he is simply found in an area he is not meant to be, and put him back before the courts.”

Anyone with information about Moss breaching the CBO should contact police via the web chat service or report online. Those without internet access should call 101.