Chelmsford: Persistent shoplifter jailed for breaching order

A persistent shoplifter who breached a court order banning her from drinking in public just weeks after it was imposed has been jailed.

Kerry Arloff, 33, was jailed for 24 weeks at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court, on Saturday (24 February).

Days before her court appearance, on Monday 19 February, she was seen to be drinking alcohol in public in Chelmsford – in breach of a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) prohibiting her from doing so.

The next day, Tuesday 20 February, she entered a Tesco store in Moulsham Street, Chelmsford. selecting a bottle of alcohol from the shelves before leaving without paying.

That same day, she was again seen drinking alcohol in public in Chelmsford in breach of the CBO.

She was arrested by officers on Friday 23 February and remanded to court.

Arloff was made the subject of a five-year CBO on 29 January – imposing conditions intended to prevent her from committing further acts of public anti-social behaviour and theft.

Under the order, she must engage with a rehabilitation programme to address substance misuse and not be in possession of an open container of alcohol in public.

Conditions also prohibited her from entering any Co-op or John Lewis stores in the city of Chelmsford.

During her court hearing on Saturday, Arloff, of Nickleby Road, Chelmsford, admitted theft from a shop and two breaches of the CBO.

'These orders are an important tool'

PS Graham Thomas, of Chelmsford Community Policing Team, said:

“Criminal Behaviour Orders are a useful tool against those who continue to commit crime against local businesses.
“They have proved to be a successful means of reducing offences such as theft or abuse towards staff.
“This sentence proves that breaches can be met with terms of immediate imprisonment.
“This is important, as we know all too well shoplifting is far from a minor or victimless crime.
“These types of incidents can greatly impact upon staff and customers in the shops offenders target.”

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