Prolific shoplifter arrested during day of action in Peterborough city centre

On Thursday morning (March 21), Ashley Granger, 35, entered Sports Direct in Long Causeway, picked up £140 worth of Adidas t-shirts and attempted to leave without paying but was confronted by a staff member who grabbed the clothing from him.

Grangers pushed the woman into a shelf, causing her to fall to the floor, before running out of the shop empty handed.

Police were immediately called and officers who were participating in a day of action tackling retail crime in the city centre as part of Safer Business Action week were dispatched to the incident and located Granger in Bridge Street.

Granger, of Welland Road, Dogsthorpe, was arrested and later charged with theft from a shop and common assault.

He appeared at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court on Friday (March 23), where he pleaded guilty to the offences and was sentenced to six-weeks in prison.

He has also been ordered to pay £100 in compensation to the victim.

Sergeant Steve Rose, from the Peterborough City Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT), said: “Thanks to the quick reporting from the shop staff, we were able to swiftly arrest Granger and put him before the courts.

“Tackling retail crime in the city centre is a priority for our team and something we are continually working to combat. Assaults and abuse towards staff is not acceptable, no one should be subjected to this kind of behaviour.

“We have been working hard to tackle prolific offenders, including using other powers such as Criminal Behaviour Orders, and working more closely with business to improve reporting of incidents and identify offenders.”

Granger was made subject of a two-year Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) in December last year after being convicted of numerous shoplifting offences across Peterborough.

The order states he must not enter are Brotherhood Retail Park, Maskew Avenue Retail Park and any Mountain Warehouse store in England and Wales.

Anyone with information about Granger breaching the CBO should contact police via the web chat service or online forms at www.cambs.police.uk/report. Those without internet access should call 101.