Boots’ landmark legal war over thief let off by police
Chemist seeks a first private prosecution for shoplifting
‘Demoralised and scared’
BOOTS has made legal history by launching a private prosecution against a career criminal who police released despite him being caught shoplifting red-handed.
Nicholas Richards was on a suspended sentence for theft when he was seen taking £170 worth of Gucci perfume from the chemist’s flagship Piccadilly branch in the West End of London.
Yet when police officers arrived they told astonished staff it was a ‘civil matter’ and let Richards go. The company, which loses up to £12,000 a week to shoplifting, refused to let the matter go, however.
Instead, it became involved in what is believed to be the first private prosecution for shoplifting brought by a corporate ‘victim’.
Richards, who has 25 previous convictions including 18 for shoplifting, admitted the offence at Medway magistrates’ court in Kent. He will be sentenced later this month.
The case underlines the frustration businesses and individuals are facing as police avoid investigations into lesser offences.
It was brought to court by TM Eye, the parent company of My Local Bobby, which provides private security for neighbourhoods.
Richards was detained in the store on July 4 last year by an MLB officer who was wearing a body camera. It meant that the evidence against him included being caught with the stolen items, recorded on in-store CCTV and admitting the crime in front of the MLB officer’s bodycam.
David McKelvey, a former detective chief inspector with the Met who co-founded MLB, told the Sunday Times: ‘The evidence was so overwhelming. We were surprised and frustrated that the police officers chose to release Richards despite his history of criminality. It is unacceptable that stores such as Boots are being let down by police in this way.’
MLB has 30 ‘bobbies’ who provide 24-hour cover. They are mostly former police officers and soldiers and wear red tops and caps.
The body camera of the employee who detained Richards recorded a Metropolitan Police officer releasing him after saying: ‘Don’t do any silly s*** – I don’t want to see you again. What’s going to happen now is you are going to leave the store and that’s it, all right?’
A grateful Richards, who is understood to live in London, replied: ‘Thank you. Apologies. I promise I won’t. Thank you.’
A shop manager was one of the angry Boots staff who helped with the prosecution by providing a witness statement, which highlighted slumping morale among workers caused by police turning a blind eye to crime.
It said: ‘We are currently suffering eight to 12 offences per day. As a consequence of the level of thefts and occasional violence, my staff are demoralised and scared.’
Tamlyn Edwards, a prosecutor in the Boots case, said she understood it was the first instance of a corporate body supporting a private prosecution.
The Met said it spoke with the store manager a week after the incident. Boots were contacted for a comment.