The Lynx Effect: Shoplifter jailed after stealing 31 cans of deodorant
A shoplifter who stole 31 cans of deodorant from a Fenland shop during a three week ‘stealing spree’ has been jailed.
Thomas Storey, 35, was arrested on 13 May in The Crescent, Wisbech, after he stole the cans of Lynx Deodorant, confectionary and a crowbar from the town’s Poundland.
Police said he put the deodorant and other items in a carrier bag and stuffed them into his coat.
He left the store without paying and police detained him less than ten minutes later.
A police spokesperson said that it marked the end of a stealing spree, including seven other thefts from Poundland and a theft of tablets from Holland and Barrett, in Wisbech, between 20 April and 11 May.
POlice said that Storey, of no fixed address, appeared at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court on Friday (15 May), where he pleaded guilty to a total of nine counts of theft from a shop.
He also admitted two counts of common assault in relations to threats to spray shop staff with an unknown substance.
Police said that he was sentenced to a total of 26 weeks in prison and ordered to pay £100 in compensation.
PC Rebecca Risebrow, who investigated for Cambridgeshire Police, welcomed the sentence handed out at court.
She said: “Not only did Storey have a financial impact on the shops but he also threatened staff with violence.
“Assaults on shop staff are completely unacceptable, and I am glad that the courts have recognised this and sentenced him to some time in prison.”