Serial Greggs thief lucky to avoid porridge
MAN OVER STOLE £300 WORTH OF GOODIES IN 12 RAIDS
A pasty-loving thief who made off with over £300 worth of Greggs food was told he was lucky to avoid jail.
Andrew Charleston, of Dalton Crescent, Byker, took items worth a total of £344.20 from his local bakery outlet in 12 separate raids over the course of just over three months.
The 22-year-old sneaked just £18 worth of food from the shop in his first foray, on July 22 2018.
But by August 31, his fourth offence at this store, he was making off with £64.40 worth of the store’s sandwiches and other goods.
The hungry criminal also stole £36 worth of Easter Eggs from a Newcastle Tesco Express on March 31 last year, as well as a higher-value theft from Boots, on Chillingham Road, which saw him take £835 in make-up and cosmetics.
Sentencing Charleston at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, District Judge Kate Meek described his offending as “persistent and prolific”.
Mitigating on behalf of Charleston, Michael Crowe said he had already spent Christmas behind bars, having been picked up by police in December and held on remand until January - but had now begun to turn his life around.
He said: “He’s living with his mother now, he’s got a benefits appointment tomorrow.
“He’s a young man who has had a challenging upbringing and, since he came out of prison he hasn’t slipped up in any way. He has shown probation he is serious about changing by attending his appointment.”
Judge Meek told Charleston she was seriously considering sending him immediately to jail, but settled on a 24-week suspended sentence, giving him one week for each Greggs theft, and a further six weeks each for the Boots and Tesco thefts.
She said: “Mr Charleston, I don’t think many people would argue with me if I sent you to prison today. I don’t think many people sitting in court today or reading this in the newspapers would argue if I did that.
“You have a dreadful record of this kind of dishonesty. You went back, and kept stealing and kept stealing over a number of months.
“But I do acknowledge what’s been said in the probation report and on your behalf by Mr Crowe about your life and the difficulties you’ve experienced.”
Prosecutor Bethany Jendrzejewski applied for more than £1,000 in compensation for the businesses hit by Charleston, but due to his limited means the compensation demanded was reduced to £786.