Prolific thief John Lewis, aged 34, from Leamington Spa, has been sentenced to 26 weeks in prison and fined £718.94 for six counts of shop theft and one count of bicycle theft.
On 11th November 2023, just before 5 pm, Lewis stole a £100 coat from a clothing shop located in the Shires Retail Park in Leamington, an act captured on CCTV.
At 11:45 pm on 6th March 2024, Lewis entered a supermarket on The Parade in Leamington, where he unlawfully took a bottle of vodka from the shelf. Despite being challenged by a staff member, Lewis opted to take a second bottle of vodka, amounting to a total value of £50, before leaving the premises without payment.
Two days later, around 4:40 pm, Lewis was recorded on CCTV stealing a bicycle left outside a supermarket in Shires Retail Park.
On 26th March, approximately 12:45 pm, Lewis stole two bottles of whiskey worth £45 from the same supermarket on The Parade. Once again, his actions were captured on CCTV, leading to identification by store staff.
On 9th April, Lewis concealed a red charity coin box inside his jacket at the Shires Retail Park supermarket, a deed recorded by CCTV and identified by shop personnel.
Two days later, at a pharmacy on The Parade, Lewis concealed two packs of makeup brushes and three other cosmetic items totaling £43.98 in value. Once more, he was identified by a staff member and caught on CCTV.
Finally, on 12th April, Lewis revisited the clothing shop in Shires Retail Park and took another coat valued at £129.99, an act also captured on CCTV and recognised by a staff member.
When questioned, Lewis admitted to stealing to support his drug habit.
John Lewis received his sentence at Coventry Magistrates' Court on 18th April.
Investigating officer PC Wainwright said “John Lewis is known so well to business owners that it is frankly ridiculous that he thinks he can continue stealing from them. “Unfortunately, this is the impact of addiction on the lives of the individual and the lives of those around them. Rationality and sense don’t really come into it. “Only prolific shoplifters receive prison sentences, which give the businesses a time of respite from their activities, as well as giving people like Lewis an opportunity to rethink their lives and to access support services available to them.”