A 27-year-old man from Southampton has been jailed and handed a five-year criminal behaviour order after admitting to stealing more than £1,700 worth of items from stores in Hedge End, Bursledon, Park Gate and Southampton.

Dylan James David, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to 17 shopliftings when he appeared at Southampton Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 13 May.

He was sentenced to 18 weeks’ imprisonment and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £154.

The sentencing followed incidents at various stores between Friday 21 March and Sunday 27 April.

The stores he stole from were;

• Morrisons Daily, Montague Avenue, Southampton - £253.20
• One Stop, North East Road, Southampton - £413.45
• One Stop, Exford Avenue, Southampton – £266.65
• One Stop, Portsmouth Road, Bursledon - £706.91
• Marks & Spencer, Tollbar Way, Hedge End - £76.52
• Sainsbury’s, Bridge Road, Park Gate - £52.52

David was handed his CBO when he appeared again at Southampton Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 18 June.

As part of the CBO, David must not enter the following stores;

• Any Morrisons or Morrisons Daily
• Any One Stop
• Any BP petrol station
• Any Co-op

He must also;

• not enter any retail/business premises from which he has been banned.
• leave any store, or business premises, immediately when asked to do so by a member of staff
• place items that he wishes to purchase in a store/business premises in a basket or trolley provided by the store until he has purchased the items. The basket or trolley must then be left behind, where applicable.

If David fails to comply with the conditions of the CBO, he risks being arrested and further prosecuted.

PC Simon Peacock, Local Bobby from Hedge End Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “I am pleased to see David sentenced and now subject to a Criminal Behaviour Order, which will offer stores further protection from anymore thefts and losses at his hands.

"David has continually targeted shops across our district and beyond, showing no willingness to comply with the law in the process.

“We regularly target and prosecute shoplifters. However, securing this CBO provides additional restrictions which help us prevent and disrupt any potential further offending perpetrated by him.

“Shoplifting is not a victimless crime. Repeat offences, in particular, can create an environment of fear for many retail workers, and this is simply not okay.

“We want to stop this criminality, and encourage businesses affected to please keep reporting crimes to us, so we can relentlessly pursue those responsible.

“Local policing teams put in a lot of work to support businesses, disrupt habitual offenders like David, and also work with support services for those whose offending cycle is driven by other factors such as drug and alcohol dependency.”

If you are a shop owner or staff member, please continue to report any shopliftings to us.

You can do this by calling 101, or by reporting online via the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary website.

How to tell us about an existing case or report | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary

You can also contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, or via the below link;

Independent UK charity taking crime information anonymously | Crimestoppers

With your information, we can take action, including arresting and charging suspects and convicting offenders at court, as the above again demonstrates.

*Meanwhile, a 54-year-old man from Bursledon has also been sentenced after admitting to one count of shoplifting.

Richard Charles Brown, of Silver Birches, pleaded guilty to the offence when he appeared at Southampton Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 24 June.

It followed a theft at One Stop, Portsmouth Road, Bursledon on Thursday 17 April.

Brown was ordered to pay £20 in compensation and £85 in costs.