A police investigation into a break-in at a city centre vintage clothing store has led to a persistent shop thief being locked up.
Lines of enquiry were carried out following a report of a burglary at Garms, in Bridlesmith Gate, on 21 September, during which a number of designer Ralph Lauren jackets were stolen.
Those enquiries, which included checking CCTV footage, subsequently led to the arrest and charging of 45-year-old Kristie Sharp—a prolific shop thief—in connection with the incident.
Sharp, of no fixed address, appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court for sentencing on Thursday (14 November), having pleaded guilty to a charge of burglary.
She also admitted to a charge of theft, having stolen a £190 Lego set from Game, at Nottingham’s Victoria Shopping Centre, on 10 November.
Sharp was jailed for seven months and ordered to pay £460 in compensation.
Inspector Paul Gummer, of the city centre neighbourhood policing team, said:
“We understand the implications these types of offences have on our local businesses.
“This was an excellent example of officers going the extra mile to obtain CCTV footage from not only the scene—where the images did not allow for identification of the suspect—but tracking their movement right across the city centre to obtain images that did lead to Sharp being identified.
“PCSO Fisk and PC Hayes were particularly determined in tracking down the evidence and the suspect to achieve a successful prosecution.
“Sharp is a prolific offender who has caused great misery and loss to business owners.
“Offenders like her cause a great deal of concern to retailers and the wider community, so I’m pleased we managed to catch her, put her before the courts, and she has now been taken off our streets.
“As part of our long-term problem-solving approach to these sorts of offences, we are currently progressing several criminal behaviour orders through the courts to ban prolific offenders from the city centre.
“We will continue to do all we can to identify offenders and bring them before the courts.”
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