A persistent shoplifter has been jailed and ordered to keep away from the stores he targeted.
Aaron Kelly carried out a series of raids on supermarkets, food shops, and clothing stores in areas including Clifton, West Bridgford, and Chilwell. He repeatedly walked into shops and brazenly stole items before leaving without paying during October and early November this year.
On one occasion, on 15 October, he grabbed handfuls of air fresheners from a store in Clifton before threatening a security guard who tried to intervene.
Kelly, aged 35, of no fixed abode, was arrested after an investigation by neighbourhood policing teams.
He pleaded guilty to nine counts of shoplifting and one count of threatening behaviour when he appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Monday (11 November).
Kelly was jailed for a total of 12 weeks and was also made the subject of a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO), which bans him from entering shops in Southchurch Drive, Clifton.
He has also been ordered to keep away from any stores in Green Lane, Clifton Triangle, Chilwell Retail Park, Aldi in West Bridgford, and any Co-op store in Nottinghamshire. The order will be in place for two years.
Police Constable Jane Gibson, of the Clifton neighbourhood policing team, said:
“Kelly is one of a relatively small number of persistent shoplifters who are responsible for the vast majority of these offences in our communities.
“Our most effective tool in the battle against these thieves is proving to be a combination of jail sentences and CBOs.
“Repeat offenders can expect a robust response from police and the courts if they breach their court order.
“The orders have real teeth, and recent sentences handed down to other offenders who have breached them reflect that.
“By working effectively with our partners, we can secure these orders and make it an offence for persistent shoplifters to even enter individual premises.
“We hope the order will serve as a deterrent to Kelly and give businesses and shop staff some respite.”
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