A shoplifter who regularly stole food and household goods from shops and was later found with drugs has been jailed.
Aaron Kelly stole a range of food and household items during a month-long stealing spree, which included the theft of detergent, washing tablets and high quality steaks and meat joints.
The 32-year-old targeted shops in the Southchurch Drive area of Clifton.
During one occasion, he was approached and intercepted by a security guard on Thursday 10 March 2022.
As he went to take the bag, which was filled with stolen goods, Kelly resisted and, desperate to get away, he punched the security guard in the hand.
Kelly had recently been released from prison for previous shoplifting offences, and as he was known in the area, officers were given his name as the offender for a number of these offences.
They were subsequently able to recognise and arrest him.
When he was brought into custody on 19 March, officers searched him and also recovered a quantity of cannabis.
Appearing at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Monday 21 March 2022, Kelly was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison. He pleaded guilty to nine counts of theft, two counts of attempted theft, assault and possessing a class B substance.
Sergeant Nigel Bradley, of the Clifton neighbourhood policing team, said: “This conviction is the result of excellent and persistent work by our local officers.
“Retail crime can often be seen as a victimless crime. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth, as this case shows.
When shop staff or, in this case, security staff, are subjected to threats or assaults, they are left living in fear both inside and outside of the workplace.
“A number of shops in Clifton were being continually targeted and their co-operation has been invaluable in collecting the evidence. We understand how much of an impact such incidents can have on shop workers and for wider businesses.
“We have continued to proactively visit shops and workers in the area as part of our ongoing solidarity with the retail industry and ‘Shopkind’ campaign. In particular I want to thank PC Jane Gibson who has been a stalwart not only in this case but in helping to build and keep the great relationship we have with local shops overall.
“Kelly had not long been released from prison and decided to again target shops in the area.
“Thanks to the tireless work being conducted by our teams, he is now back behind bars, which is a great result and I hope will offer reassurance to businesses in the area that we will not tolerate this behaviour.
“We will continue to work closely with partners and residents, as we have done successfully in the past, to ensure that prolific shoplifters like him are serving long prison sentences.”
