A persistent thief who targeted shops and parked vehicles during a six-week crime spree has been jailed.
Stuart Askey, aged 39, walked into supermarkets and other stores in Clifton and The Meadows to swipe items from the shelves.
Ring doorbell footage also captured him opening the door of a van parked outside a home in Hockerwood, Clifton, on 9 April.
PC Jane Gibson and Mel Starmer – neighbourhood policing teams in Nottingham South carried out an extensive investigation into the thefts, with the help of local businesses, and arrested Askey on Tuesday (2 May).
Askey, of Southchurch Drive, Clifton, was locked up for 16 weeks when he appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court the following day. He pleaded guilty to 14 shop thefts and one charge of interfering with a motor vehicle.
The offences took place between 11 March and 23 April 2023 with Askey stealing goods totalling more than £500.
He targeted the Farm Foods store, in Southchurch Drive, Clifton, to steal meat, cheese and other food products on six occasions – stuffing items down his jumper or inside his coat.
Askey also walked into the Wilko store, in Southchurch Drive, and stole laundry products on four occasions.
Further thefts took place at the Co-op store, in the Bridgeway Centre, The Meadows, where Askey stole laundry products and household items on two occasions, and at the Heron Foods store, in Southchurch Drive, where he took laundry products.
Inspector Steve Dalby, who has recently taken the reins as district commander for Nottingham South, said: “To secure this number of charges against an offender involves a huge amount of painstaking police work so I am grateful to all my officers who were involved in this case and particularly Police Constables Jane Gibson and Mel Starmer.
“Askey is a prolific shoplifter who has caused serious issues for a number of local stores.
“I am pleased the court has given him a custodial sentence and hope this sends a clear message that we take shoplifting and associated crime very seriously.
“We work closely with businesses and our partners to ensure the shops which serve our communities are places which people want to visit in order to spend their money.
“We know that a disproportionate number of shop thefts are committed by a relatively small group of persistent offenders like Askey.
“By targeting resources at those individuals and working with businesses and other partners we are already seeing some very promising results.”
