Prolific shoplifter locked up again

A prolific Mansfield shoplifter has been returned to jail after he was caught breaching a court order in the town centre.

William Gamble, aged 38, has previously been banned from large parts of the town centre and is prohibited from entering several shops he has targeted in the past.

Under the terms of a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) secured by local officers, he is also banned from entering any shop with an empty bag and must instead select a trolley or basket where contents are clearly visible.

Gamble, of Sandfield Close, Mansfield, breached that order on Monday 5 August when he stole makeup items from the Four Seasons shopping centre.

He was arrested last week and later pleaded guilty to one count of theft and one count of breaching his Criminal Behaviour Order.

Appearing at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Friday he was jailed for 18 weeks.

The sentence comes as shop theft numbers in Mansfield are falling significantly.

Offences are down more than 40 per cent in the financial year to date – in large part down to a concerted effort by the neighbourhood policing team to target prolific offenders like Gamble who commit a disproportionate number of offences.

Inspector Kylie Davies, district commander for Mansfield, said:

“We will continue to work with Gamble and others like him to ensure they get the help they need to stop this kind of offending.

“However, if they don’t take that help and continue to blight our local retailers in this way, we will make their lives as difficult as possible.

“We will continue to arrest them, put them before the courts and see them put into prison where they can no longer commit offences.

“This intensive approach towards such prolific offenders is working and will be continued in the weeks and months ahead.”