Gunwharf Quays thief who stole £13,000 of clothes pays with three years jail
A Portsmouth clothes thief who raided a shop at Gunwharf Quays of £13,000 worth of goods has paid for his crimes after being jailed for three years.
Danny Don Baldacchino, 40, has paid the price for his lavish shoplifting spree at the Musto store just before 5am on Thursday 15 August.
Baldacchino, of Bridgeside Close, broke into the store before helping himself to a number of items of clothes. However, he was subsequently arrested and charged with theft from a shop, burglary and breach of bail conditions, which he admitted at Portsmouth Crown Court.
During his sentence hearing the thief was handed a 16 month prison term for the burglary and a further 20 months in prison when a suspended sentence was triggered - giving a total sentence of three years in prison.
A police statement said: “We recognise the impact thefts and shoplifting have on our business community and we will continue to relentlessly pursue those individuals who commit crime against our businesses, prioritising those who are violent to staff or are repeat offenders.
“We have a city centre team dedicated to catching these offenders and will be working with the Portsmouth Business Crime Reduction Partnership and businesses in Southsea and across the city.”
To help protect your business:
- Make sure staff are able to use any appropriate security equipment such as panic alarms.
- Make sure CCTV cameras are in good working order, the position provides the best possible coverage and they are serviced annually.
- Remind staff to report any suspicious activity to the manager or the police. Details should also be recorded and include: date, time, description of person.
“The community are our eyes and ears and we encourage you to report all incidents as soon as you are able to by calling 101 if it’s not an emergency,” the statement added.
You can also report suspicious activity online by visiting: https://www.hampshire.police.uk
If a crime is in progress, always call 999.