Named and shamed - list of shoplifters punished for thieving in Havant and Waterlooville

A list of shoplifters punished for thieving in Havant and Waterlooville have been named and shamed.

A newly formed Hampshire police Retail Crime Team shared some recent successes in tackling thefts from stores in the area.

Jimmy Andrews, 30, of Blendworth Crescent in Havant, appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday 4 September, where he was sentenced to one year in prison for 10 theft from shop offences. The offences took place between 6 July and 5 August in Emsworth, Havant, Portsmouth and Chichester, and he stole a total of £107.25 worth of items.

Lauren Elliott, also known as Lauren Canning, 31, of no fixed abode, appeared at Southampton Magistrates Court on 21 August, where she was sentenced to 18 weeks imprisonment for 11 offences relating to thefts from Co-Op stores across the Havant area.

The offences took place between 6 July and 2 August, with the total value of the goods stolen alleged to be more than £1,500.

Chas Hunter, 35, of no fixed address, appeared at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on 21 August, where he was sentenced to four weeks imprisonment for two theft from shop offences from Co-op stores in Havant on 28 and 31 July, where he stole £59.10 worth of items.

Stephanie Batchlor, 29, of Kingston Road in Portsmouth, appeared at Portsmouth Magistrates Court on 25 August, where she was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, for eight theft from shop offences. The offences took place in Co-Op, M&S and Next stores in Havant and Portsmouth between 25 May and 2 August, with a total of £1,124.60 worth of items being stolen.

PEOPLE CHARGED

Meanwhile, the new retail police department has revealed a number of people have also been charged for shoplifting offences.

Macen Osbourne, 33, of St. Denys Walk in Havant, has been charged with three theft from shop offences in Havant. These are for theft of £61.96 worth of items from Farm Foods on Greywell Road on May 10, theft of £22 worth of items from One Stop on Middle Park Way on June 10 and theft of £38 worth of items from One Stop on Middle Park Way on July 10. He is due to appear next at Portsmouth Magistrates Court on 8 October.

James Gray, 47, of Mousehole Road in Portsmouth, has been charged with two theft from shop offences. These are theft of £60 worth of items from Co-Op on Belmont Grove, Havant, on June 30 and theft of £21.35 worth of items from the Co-op on Northern Parade, Portsmouth, on August 25. He is due to appear next at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on 8 October.

Owen Tomlinson, 24, of no fixed address, has been charged with 21 offences. From 22 May to 19 July he faces 19 theft from shop offences from 10 stores in Havant, Emsworth, Waterlooville and Portsmouth, with a total of £1,448.08 worth of items stolen.

On 2 July he faces a robbery charge at Farm Foods on St Albans Road in Havant and criminal damage at the store. He has been remanded into custody and will appear at court again in due course.

Acting Inspector Colin Webb of the Waterlooville Neighbour Policing and Havant Retail Crime Teams said: “Shoplifting affects everyone. Retail workers are often subjected to challenging and sometimes threatening behaviour, businesses suffer significant losses, and communities feel the consequences through increased prices and the impact on local shops.

“The creation of the Retail Crime Team demonstrates our commitment to tackling this issue. Shoplifting will not be ignored.

“Please continue to report incidents of shoplifting to us. Every report matters, and where offences are committed, we will pursue all available opportunities to identify offenders, build evidence, and seek prosecution.”