Laundry thief from Peterborough makes a clean getaway on stolen bike before police end his cycle of shoplifting
A “relentless” thief who stole laundry products from Peterborough shops on has been jailed.
David Creasey, 50, went to the Co-op, in Oundle Road, on 13 November where he stole two bottles of detergent.
The following day he took four packs of laundry tablets from Tesco, in Staniland Way, Werrington, without paying. As he left the store, he stole a bicycle that had been left outside.
A spokesperson from Cambridgeshire Police said: “For the next two days in a row, he went to Sainsbury’s in the Bretton Centre, stealing various items worth more than £200.
“On 26 November he used a bolt cutter to steal a bicycle from the shelter at Ken Stimpson Academy, in Werrington, before cycling off.
“Creasey was identified from CCTV footage by the police Spree Offender Team and arrested.
“He admitted four counts of theft from a shop and two of theft of a pedal cycle.”
On Tuesday, 2 December, at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court, Creasey, of no known address, was jailed for six months. He was also ordered to pay a combined £1100 compensation to the victims of the cycle thefts.
PC Jack Jenkins, from the Spree Offender Team, said: “Creasey was relentless in stealing these items on a daily basis.
“He was clearly taking these products to sell on. I’d urge anyone who is offered cheap laundry, or other common high value products for sale at car boots or by other means, to think about where they may have come from.
“As the Spree Offender Team, we’re working to identify some of the most prolific offenders in the county and bring them before the courts. Much of this involves retail crime and we will continue to work with local businesses to combat the issue.”