OPEN AND SHUT CASE
Jailed: Train luggage thief who stole £30,000
A SERIAL suitcase thief who swiped £30,000 of luggage on trains during a two-month spree has been jailed.
Christopher Stewart would board carriages empty-handed and get off a couple of stops later carrying baggage that passengers had left in storage.
The 32-year-old was pictured on CCTV and caught when plain-clothes police followed him on one trip.
And when he was stopped getting off with someone else’s case he was also wearing a £500 coat from an earlier haul.
A search of his home in Wakefield, West Yorks, found stolen goods including a computer tablet, an electric toothbrush, hair straighteners and jewellery.
It is believed a large amount of the property swiped between September and November 2017 on Wakefield Westgate to Leeds services was flogged online.
In his police interview, Stewart admitted his actions had been “100% dishonest”.
At Leeds crown court, he pleaded guilty to 13 counts of theft and another
23 thefts were taken into consideration.
He got five and a half
Thief Stewart years, cut to three years and eight months for his guilty plea. DC Tony McGibbon said: “I am pleased we were able to bring Stewart to justice and that his custodial sentence reflects the seriousness of his offending. “He had total disregard for his victims and their property, stealing £30,000 worth of other people’s items for his own financial gain. “I hope this sentence will serve as a deterrent to others who may consider similar behaviour – we will bring you before the courts.”