A SHOPLIFTER who stole more than £600 worth of food items from shops across Southend has been banned from nine stores.

Tommy Collinson, of York Road, was arrested last Saturday by an officer from the city’s Operation Raker team - dedicated to cracking down on criminal behaviour in Southend's shopping areas - who recognised him in Ilfracombe Avenue.

Collinson admitted committing 10 shop thefts – totalling £629.25 of meat, fish, coffee, chocolate and cheese – and eight breaches of a criminal behaviour order between March 23 and April 15 at Southend Magistrates' Court last Monday.

The 36-year-old also admitted one count of assault by beating.

He was handed a 16-week prison sentence which is suspended for a year, and given a six-month drug rehabilitation requirement with STARS and a 30-days rehabilitation activity requirement.

Magistrates also ordered Collinson to pay £629.95 compensation, £145 costs and a £187 victim surcharge.

The court also heard that Collinson had a three-year criminal behaviour order imposed on him on April 14 last year. This banned him from entering:

  • Farm Foods, Greyhound Retail Park, Southend
  • Matalan, Greyhound Retail Park, Southend
  • Tesco Express, Southchurch Road, Southend
  • Co-op, Sutton Road, Southend
  • Co-op, Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff
  • Co-op, London Road, Westcliff
  • Iceland, York Road, Southend
  • BP, London Road, Hadleigh

Magistrates agreed to continue the order but, additionally, to ban him from entering Iceland on the Greyhound Retail Park in Southend.

The Southend town centre policing team launched Operation Raker last year to target prolific repeat offenders, including shoplifters who steal in order to fund an addiction.

Since then, more than 30 people have been charged with more than 300 offences.