A prolific thief has been locked up after being recognised on the street by police.
Simon Spencer helped himself to nearly £1,300 worth of chocolates and sweets during a spate of shop thefts.
Four separate stores across Nottingham were targeted by Spencer between February and April – with some falling victim to him more than once.
On each occasion he brazenly strode into the shop and emptied shelves full of chocolate bars and sweets into a bag he was carrying before leaving.
He managed to help himself to hundreds of pounds worth of the sweet treats on each visit before making his exit without paying a single penny for them.
Spencer started his stealing spree off on 22 February with two trips a couple of hours apart to the same Heron Foods store in Highbury Road, Bulwell.
Sainsburys in Ransom Road, St Ann’s, was targeted by the 50-year-old three times on 23 March, 7 April and 10 April, before he then stole chocolate bars from a different Sainsburys in Plains Road, Woodthorpe on 13 April.
Spencer carried out the seventh and final theft of his spree on 15 April when he again helped himself to items from Co-op in Mansfield Road, Sherwood – a shop he was banned from entering as part of the conditions of an existing criminal behaviour order (CBO).
After CCTV gathered from the stores identified Spencer as the thief, he managed to stay under the radar until patrolling officers from the City Central neighbourhood policing team spotted him in New Basford on Monday (19 May) and placed him under arrest.
Spencer, of Egypt Road, New Basford, was subsequently charged with seven counts of shop theft and one count of breaching a criminal behaviour order.
Appearing at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (20 May), he pleaded guilty to each of the charges and was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison.
PC Layla Battle, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“Simon Spencer’s stealing saw him make off with over a thousand pounds worth of chocolates and sweets during visits to the shops.
“Unlike honest shoppers who spend their hard-earned wages on items, Spencer showed a complete disregard for the law and grabbed whatever he could get his hands on without paying a single penny for them.
“This type of behaviour is completely wrong and unfair on others who do follow the rules.
“Spencer targeted four stores across different parts of Nottingham – sometimes more than once – but was linked to each offence by the CCTV footage that showed him stealing.
“Based on this information, we were able to circulate his name and face across the police force, which meant the arresting officers were able to recognise him while they were out on patrol in New Basford.
“We’re pleased to see Spencer has now owned up to what he did and is currently serving a custodial sentence as a result.”
