Persistent Grantham shoplifter jailed after stealing from town centre stores

A Grantham man has been jailed for persistent shoplifting and breaching court orders.

Christopher Hay, aged 36, whose address was given as The Travelodge, Colsterworth, was jailed for a total of 24 weeks after pleading guilty to four charges of theft and four charges of breaching a criminal behaviour order.

Hay appeared before Lincoln magistrates on Friday (September 29) and admitted stealing electrical items and razors to the value of £186 from Superdrug in Grantham on September 22, stealing electrical items, value unknown, from B&M Bargains in Grantham on September 28, stealing fragrances, value unknown, from TK Maxx in Grantham on September 20, and stealing gift bags and alcohol to the value of £72 from Sainsbury’s in Grantham on September 5.

He also admitted breaching a criminal behaviour on four occasions by entering the town centre stores.

He was ordered to pay a total of £158 in compensation, but was not ordered to pay any costs.

In May, Hay, then of William Street, Grantham, was banned from all town centre shops for three years after being handed a criminal behaviour order along with Daniel Scoffield.

The order meant that Hay was prohibited from entering any retail premises in Grantham town centre unless accompanied by a support worker or responsible officer, with the exception of Grantham Pharmacy in High Street and Farmfoods in London Road.

South Kesteven Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Mark Hillson, said at the time: "This type of offending blights our communities and we want to protect our communities from it. These orders seek to provide longer-term solutions to prevent this behaviour, allowing both prohibitive and positive requirements to be imposed. They also provide the courts with additional sentencing powers to deal with any breaches.”