Colchester: serial shoplifter jailed on his birthday for defying shops ban

A serial shoplifter was jailed on his birthday for 16 months after breaching a criminal behaviour order eight times in a fortnight.

Jason Glasgow spent his 36^th birthday in Ipswich Crown Court, having previously admitted breaching a criminal behaviour order (CBO) eight times between 27 May and 9 June 2024, including four times on 2 June 2024.

He also admitted committing eight thefts from two Colchester Co-op stores in Hawthorne Avenue, Greenstead, and Wimpole Road.

He was spotted and arrested by an officer from Colchester Local Policing Team just half an hour after a theft was reported by the Wimpole Road Co-op on 9 June 2024.

Glasgow was out of prison on licence at the time after having been jailed in April 2024 for 12 weeks and banned from all Co-op stores in Essex for three years under the terms of a court-imposed criminal behaviour order.

Then, he had admitted to committing nine shop thefts, involving £400 of food and drink, in less than a month.

On 8 August 2024, Glasgow was jailed for 16 months for the CBO breaches and for six months, to run concurrently, for the shop thefts.

The court heard that Glasgow had stolen more than £600 of meat, fish, coffee, laundry detergent and air fresheners from the two shops,

Sergeant Chris Bird, of Colchester Local Policing Team, says:

“Glasgow was issued with a criminal behaviour order four months ago but decided to ignore it so he’s now had to face the consequences of his actions and go back to jail.
“We take reports of shoplifting seriously but we recognise it can go unreported so we urge retailers and their staff to report shop theft, abuse and anti-social behaviour to us.
“This way, we can work with our Business Crime Team to spot emerging trends and direct our operational activity where it is most needed. Where we have the evidence, we’ll look to secure charges.
“Our business crime officers can also work with store chains and independent retailers to identify areas where they can strengthen their security and crime prevention practices to help keep their staff, customers and business safe. You can find out more on our Business Crime webpages.”

Criminal behaviour orders

A criminal behaviour order, or CBO, is a set of conditions placed on an individual by a court, which will prevent the person from causing further harm against the business.

The conditions could include banning the individual from entering a particular shop or area, such as a town centre, for a defined amount of time. If the person breaches the order, it could result in a prison sentence.

This has proved to be a successful way of reducing offences such as theft or abuse towards staff. 

CBOs also tackle the underlying causes of offending and, where appropriate, require offenders to engage in treatment services, such as drug and alcohol addiction support.

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.

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