Jail for shoplifter who broke into Newark cinema during spree

A shoplifter broke into a cinema and stole a cleaner’s coat during a theft spree across the Newark area.

Wayne Cook crept through an unlocked door into the Odeon when it was being cleaned early in the morning.

Once inside the town centre-based cinema, he grabbed a coat belonging to one of the cleaners and tried to steal from the till.

There wasn’t any cash for him to take however, with Cook instead fleeing with just the jacket after being spotted on 10 November.

This break-in wasn’t an isolated incident though, with the 55-year-old also committing a series of shop thefts in the weeks either side.

Cook helped himself to various items from five different stores during seven separate incidents between 23 October and 30 November.

The first saw him pocket multiple Warhammer models, before he repeatedly targeted Boots, in Northgate Retail Park, for perfume and gift set boxes.

Meat products and sports supplements were stolen from two more stores, while he helped himself to cigarettes from behind the counter in Co-Op, Side Row, on 30 October.    

Newark neighbourhood officers were able to link Cook to each of the eight offences, after reviewing CCTV footage and recognising his face on the clips.

The team managed to catch up with him on Monday (2 December), after a sighting of him was radioed in, with officers on patrol then stopping and detaining him in the town centre.

He would go on to be charged with six shop thefts and two burglaries – each of which he pleaded guilty to at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (3 December).

Cook, of Bellmond Close, Newark, was given a 38-week prison sentence that same day.

Inspector Charlotte Ellam, District Commander for Newark and Sherwood, said:

“Thanks to our officers’ great work in gathering evidence relating to each of these incidents, Cook was left with no choice but to admit to his stealing spree when he was brought before the courts.

“The neighbourhood team’s local knowledge of who Cook was, based on previous dealings with him, played a role in him being apprehended, while this also showed the value of the patrols we conduct each day.

“This type of repetitive shoplifting can have a really negative impact on the community, with that decision to steal unfair on those who follow the rules and spend their hard-earned money on shopping.

“One of his offences saw him break into a cinema and steal items belonging to a cleaner who was just trying to do their job. This is clearly not acceptable and will never be tolerated by our policing team.

“It’s pleasing to hear that Cook will be kept out of trouble for the foreseeable future and will spend the Christmas period away from our stores.”