Two shoplifters behind bars after ignoring legal bans

Liam Walsh stole goods worth more than £1,000 over two and a half months, taking meat, cleaning products and confectionary from supermarkets and other shops.

But his luck ran out when he was spotting stealing by an off-duty police officer.

He went into action and detained the 25-year-old thief.

Walsh was subsequently charged with 15 counts of theft from a shop. He was also charged with four counts of breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) which had had been put in place to stop him from entering a number of named supermarkets in the local area.

After pleading guilty, Walsh, of Teesdale Road, Wingfield, was jailed for a total of 68 weeks - 32 weeks for the CBO breach and 32 weeks for the theft offences.

Also found to be actively breaching the terms of his CBO was Thomas Buckley.

In the same way as Walsh, Buckley was prohibited from entering a number of shops in Rotherham.

However, the 34-year-old ignored the legal order and continued to go to some of the businesses, as part of a nine day shoplifting spree.

That saw him steal items including coffee and several hundred pounds worth of laundry detergent.

Buckley, of Winterwell Road, West Melton, pleaded guilty to eight counts of breaching a CBO and eight charges of theft from a shop. At Sheffield Magistrates' Court, Buckley was jailed for 64 weeks - 52 weeks for the CBO breach and 12 weeks for the theft.

Chief Insp for neighbourhoods in Rotherham, Kevin Bradley said: “CBOs allow us to enforce more effectively against offenders who consistently engage in repeated criminal activity and anti-social behaviour.

“Walsh and Buckley are examples of how ignoring and purposefully breaching these orders can result in jail time. Upon their release from prison, both will be regularly monitored to ensure they are abiding by the terms of their CBO.

“Results like these reaffirm our commitment to residents and visitors to Rotherham that we are tackling retail crime. It has no place in our town and we will act against those who commit theft.”