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2-time shoplifter avoids jail term
Drug problem ... Scott Craig, shoplifter.
A SHAMELESS shoplifter who stole £1,000 worth of goods in two raids on the same shop in South Tyneside has been told to get help for his drug problem.
Scott Craig’s second theft from the Asda store in South Shields happened within half an hour of him being bailed after his first offence.
Security staff spotted him stealing more than £600 of drink and toiletries and he was arrested.
The offence happened just 30 minutes after the 28-year-old had been released on bail after being caught helping himself to almost £400 of razors and whisky.
Craig, of Calf Close Lane, Jarrow, pleaded guilty to one charge of theft at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court last week and was back again yesterday to plead guilty to the second charge.
Paul Donay, prosecuting, said: “Security staff saw the defendant selecting several razors and putting them in a basket.
“He then put the basket in the dog food aisle, went to the checkout and bought a bag.
“He put two bottles of whisky in the bag, went back to get the basket of razors and tried to walk out.
“Security stopped him as he went out the door. The goods were worth £389”
The court heard that Craig was arrested, taken to the police station and interviewed. Half an hour later, after being released on bail, he returned to the store, where security guards saw him walking out with alcohol and toiletries worth £615.
Magistrates heard that Craig had started using heroin and he intended to sell the goods on to buy drugs.
The probation service recommended he was given a community order and placed on a drug rehabilitation course. Geoffrey Forrester, defending, said: “I’d recommend you go along with probation’s recommendation.
“This is an unfortunate situation.”
Magistrates gave Craig a 12-month community order with supervision and a drug rehabilitation requirement, and told him to complete a drug course.
Twitter: @ShieldsGazCrime
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Tuesday 22 May 2012
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Comments
There are 3 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Scritti Politti
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 07:38 PMA store security gaurd told me that once goods have been shoplifted and recovered they cannot be placed back on display for sale. There is a risk items could be contaminated or damaged in some way so they are written off. Shoplifting costs business billions of pounds a year. Obviously the losses are passed on to customers in higher prices and security cost measures to tackle the problem. So this worthless cretin walks away laughing with a paltry community order. I confidently predict it will happen again, just wait and see. Thieves like him should be jailed. Spineless judgements like this are no deterrent whatsoever to hardcore tea leafs.
brybhoy1888
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 06:10 PML=Looser on a massive scale it seems to me he's a desperado and is wanting the taste of porride as a lot of these people would rather get a jail - term to get the heroin out there system,but on the way out of prison the first thing he will do is go back to the only thing he knows stinking drugs. See a used to think people took drugs for a valid reason as it's a form of suiside as he does not know what he is really buying but 99% is rubbish and therefore is a giro-junkie and thinks it's a great idea to get the desperado head - on and steal out somewhere he knows he will get caught as gone are the days of shop-lifters too many great people doing a pristine job to keep these type of clowns out of our area's all together and grow a pair and grow-up and seek help it's all there =FREE.
Donna78
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 02:49 PMYet another idiot let of scotch free ! community order what a joke ! It tells the young people of our generation that its ok to steal because all you have to do is tell the judge ooh i got a drugs problem . Ive got no sympothy for this man what so ever as we all got minds but only a few of us use it yet another herion addict roaming our streets. No doubt we will be seeing him in our news paper again soon .
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