A shop thief attempted to avoid detection by disguising his appearance with a distinctive blonde wig.
Lee Gebbie, aged 50, had already stolen multiple sets of Lego during a series of thefts from the same Mansfield retailer when he donned the disguise on 24 March.
The newly bewigged suspect was then caught on CCTV as he loaded multiple boxes of Lego into a large bag for life.
Gebbie had previously stolen hundreds of pounds worth of Lego from the same retailer on 1,5,and 14 March this year – wearing a distinctive flat cap on two of the occasions.
Officers later discovered the wig during a search of a local address.
The item was found inside the same style of bag used to conceal the items take during his last offence.
Gebbie gave no comment answers to officers questions during his police interview, but later pleaded guilty to four counts of shop theft.
He also pleaded guilty to two additional theft offences committed in February and March 2025.
Appearing at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 22 May, Gebbie, of Langton Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield, was given a 12 week prison sentence suspended for 12 months.
He was also ordered to pay compensation.
Sergeant Catherine Darby, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“Tackling shop theft is a key priority in the Mansfield area, so people like Gebbie should be under no illusion that we will catch up with them – no matter how hard they try to hide their appearance.
“In all my years as a police officer, I’ve seen plenty of suspects try and avoid detection in various different ways, but I have to say that this was definitely a first.”
Shop theft offences have fallen by more than 30% in Mansfield over the last year – the result of a determined effort by officers to target prolific local offenders and travelling gangs of thieves from further afield.
