Jail for prolific shop thief

A serial shoplifter has been jailed for 12 weeks.

Joel Reed, 32, stole from John Lewis, the Co-op and Boots, in Cambridge, between the 15 April and 30 June.

Items stolen included several bottles of fragrance from John Lewis and Boots, as well as a box of chocolates from the Co-op.

Reed, of Cromwell Road, Cambridge, pleaded guilty to four counts of theft at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (2 July). He was jailed and ordered to pay £401.25 in compensation to John Lewis and £100.80 to Boots.

Detective Constable Timothy Taylor, who investigated, said: “Thank you to the businesses for reporting these thefts. We continue to encourage retailers and employees to report incidents so we can tackle these persistent offenders.”