Co-op ban for thief described as a ‘pest’ for shop workers
PROLIFIC SHOPLIFTER STRUCK 12 TIMES, POCKETING MORE £1,800 WORTH OF STOCK
A PROLIFIC shoplifter has been banned from entering the Co-op stores he targeted.
Described by police as a “real pest for shop workers”, Levi Wildridge pocketed more than £1,800 of stock in total during a spree that involved a dozen separate thefts from four shops.
Most of these offences took place at the Co-op, in Beckhampton Road, Bestwood, which the 39-year-old targeted on eight different occasions. Each of these thefts happened between March 3 and April 11, this year, with Wildridge stealing from multiple other shops on some of the days too.
The shoplifter stole from both the Co-op in Beckhampton Road and the Co-op in Arnold Road, Bestwood.
Wildridge, of Heatherington Gardens, Top Valley, also assaulted a woman while stealing £100 of items from a shop, in Hucknall Lane, Bulwell.
His final offence took place on April 20 when he swiped coffee and cleaning products from the shelves of another shop in Highbury Road, Bulwell. He was caught soon afterwards and charged with 12 counts of shop theft and an assault, which he pleaded guilty to in court.
Wildridge was sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for 12 months, at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Monday, April 22.
He was also subjected to a twoyear criminal behaviour order (CBO), banning him from entering either of the Co-op stores in Beckhampton Road and Arnold Road.
Sergeant Katie Taylor, of Bestwood’s neighbourhood policing team, said: “We’re delighted to have obtained this criminal behaviour order against Wildridge, who has persistently broken the law and stolen items from shops in our community.
“By having this CBO in place, we know that, if Wildridge ignores this warning and targets these stores again, he will more than likely find himself behind bars. A lot of work went into securing this order, so we hope it helps provide some reassurance to local business owners and shows how seriously we take this offending.
“We do find that a lot of shoplifting offences are carried out by the same group of repeat offenders, so anything we can do to stop these individuals is undoubtedly a good thing.
“These thefts can have a real impact on local communities, which is why we conduct regular operations as a team to target thieves.
“We will continue to do this as a neighbourhood policing team and would urge anyone with information about shoplifting in their area to contact us on 101, so that we can take action.”