A Basingstoke man has been sentenced to four weeks in prison after stealing hundreds of pounds worth of meat from a town centre store. David Connor, 39, was jailed following the theft at Marks & Spencer in Festival Place on Monday 8th December.
Police were called to the shopping centre after meat valued at £433 was stolen from the retailer. Officers attended the scene and arrested Connor on Chapel Hill shortly before 4pm that same day.
Connor, of Turner Close, Basingstoke, was subsequently charged with theft from a shop and refusing to provide a sample for a Class A drug test.
Appearing at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 9th December, he pleaded guilty to both offences and received a total custodial sentence of four weeks.
PC Olivia Stone, from the Basingstoke Neighbourhood Policing Team, emphasised the force’s zero-tolerance approach to retail crime. She said shoplifting would not be tolerated in Basingstoke and highlighted the significant impact such offences have on businesses.
The officer explained that retailers must recover losses from theft, typically resulting in increased prices that affect the wider public. PC Stone welcomed the outcome, stating that officers treat all shoplifting reports with utmost seriousness and expressing satisfaction that Connor had been held accountable for his actions.
