Colchester: Serial shoplifter jailed

A serial shoplifter has been jailed for almost a year after officers were able to link him to 24 offences in Co-op shops in and around Colchester.

Scott Butcher was also handed a criminal behaviour order and banned from every Co-op store across Essex for three years.

Butcher was arrested on Friday 8 September after officers in Colchester were alerted to a theft which had taken place at Co-op store in Wivenhoe. As part of that report, details of a vehicle were given.

A short time later, shortly before 11.30am, the vehicle was stopped, and Butcher was arrested.

During a search of the vehicle, officers also found numerous items which had been reported missing from a separate Co-op, in Tamarisk Way, Colchester, earlier that day.

Once in custody, officers were able to link Butcher to 22 other theft incidents including in Wimpole Road, The Avenue, Iceni Way, The Commons, Weavers Court, in Halstead, and Challis Way, in Braintree. The offences took place in July, August and September. In total, the value of items taken from the shops is more than £3,000.

Butcher, 36, of no fixed address, was subsequently charged and appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Saturday 9 September, where he admitted all charges and was sentenced to 51 weeks in jail.

Officers from our business crime team were also successful in securing a criminal behaviour order (CBO), which bans him from entering all Co-op shops in Essex for three years.

CBOs are designed to tackle the most serious and persistent offenders.

It is an offence to breach the terms of a CBO and courts can impose a maximum sentence of up to five years’ imprisonment or a fine, or both, for an adult convicted of breaching them.

'We don't tolerate this behaviour' 

Chief Inspector Colin Cox, Colchester district commander, said:

“The scale of Butcher’s offending is clear. He was posing a significant menace to businesses across Colchester.
“The work required to link him to each of these offences should not be underestimated and that is shown by the fact that he had no option but to admit his guilt at court on Saturday.
“The outcome of this hearing shows not only that we will not tolerate this offending, but that we are not content with putting perpetrators before the courts – and will go further to secure orders which prevents offending when he is released from prison and make no mistake, any breach will be acted upon quickly and robustly.”

'We'll protect victims from repeat offenders'

PC Alex Plakhtienko, of the Essex Police Business Crime Team, worked with the Crown Prosecution Service to secure the CBO.

He said:

“We have a duty to protect all victims of crime from repeat offenders.
“And one way we can do this is by applying to the courts for criminal behaviour orders which are intended to prevent their re-offending. Crucially, if they do not comply, they’ll be dealt with for any breach and find themselves back in court facing further action.”

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