Prolific thief jailed after stealing solar plant

A serial thief who stole a solar plant from the garden of a home in Peterborough has been jailed.

Soma Deasley, 36, was caught on a video doorbell cycling up to the house in Andrews Crescent, Paston, on 9 October, and stealing the plant from the front garden.

Deasley, of no fixed address, was arrested six days later at TK Maxx, in Brotherhood Retail Park, Peterborough, after staff detained him and found various items hidden in his jacket.

He was charged with theft from a person and four counts of theft from a shop, including the theft of various items from One Stop, in St Paul’s Road, New England, Peterborough, on three occasions between 16 September and 10 October.

He admitted the offences at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (22 October) and was jailed for four weeks and told to pay £190 in compensation - £170 to One Stop and £20 to the victim of the plant theft.

PC Curtis Quirk, who investigated, said: “Prolific thieves can have a significant impact on those they target, and I would like to thank the victims for reporting to us.

“I encourage businesses affected by retail crime to continue reporting any incidents as this helps us in identifying those causing the issues and take further action.”

Deasley was arrested during Safer Business Action Week - a national campaign dedicated to tackling retail crime.