Thief stole while waiting to appear in court

A man who continued to steal while waiting to appear in court for theft has been jailed.

Antonio Khan, 51, was due to appear in court on 16 August to face two charges of theft at Matalan, in Maskew Avenue Retail Park, Peterborough.

However, he stole £70 worth of whiskey from Tesco, in Serpentine Green, Hampton, on 6 August, and then failed to turn up to the court hearing.

Officers arrested him on 14 September after CCTV operators saw him in Westgate, Peterborough city centre, and alerted police as they knew he was wanted.

Khan, of Windmill Street, Millfield, Peterborough, appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Monday (16 September), where he was sentenced to four months in prison and ordered to pay £220 in compensation - £70 to Tesco and £150 to Matalan – after admitting three thefts.

PC Craig Sloan, who investigated, said: “Thanks to the teamwork between CCTV operators and our officers, we were able to arrest Khan and put him before the courts.

“I would like to encourage any businesses affected by retail crime to report incidents to us, no matter the value, as it allows us to build investigations and arrest those involved.”