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A prolific Basildon shoplifter has admitted breaching a countywide ban on entering BP garages to commit more thefts.
Jon Lee, 39, appeared before Southend magistrates, charged with 61 offences, just 24 hours after his arrest on 28 January.
In court, he admitted 32 counts of shop theft between 24 September 2024 and 2 January 2025 – 29 from BP garages including East Mayne in Basildon, Cranfield Park Road, Wickford, Orsett South and Orsett Cock on the A13 near Stanford-le-Hope and London Road, Benfleet; one from B&Q in Howard Way, Harlow; one from Sports Direct in Freeport shopping village, Braintree; and one from John Lewis in Bond Street, Chelmsford.
Lee, of Powell Road, also admitted 29 breaches of a two-year criminal behaviour order issued on 26 June 2023, which forbade him from entering any BP service station in Essex.
In all, the court heard, his thefts, which ranged from a £720 electronic stove and £315 hair-stylers to two Keralan lamb curry meals and a pack of mini bites, totalled around £4,000.
Lee was committed to Basildon Crown Court for sentencing and he is next due to appear on 26 February 2025.