A Hastings man, Stephen Franks, was convicted of 25 counts of shoplifting at Brighton Magistrates Court on 28th October 2022, and bailed for sentencing at Hastings on the 9th December.
Franks, of Stonehouse Road, St Leonards, was described in court as having a severe alcohol addiction which had led him to regularly steal wine from a local Co-Op store almost daily throughout much of September and October.
The magistrate noted Franks’ previous convictions and prison sentences for similar offences, and made an order that whilst on bail he was to live and sleep at his registered address and attend rehabilitation sessions at the STAR project.
He was also ordered not to enter the Co-Op, not to be in public with an open container of alcohol, and not to associate with the street-drinking community.
The court asked that reports on his progress be compiled by probation and CGL for presentation at his sentencing hearing.
John Bownas, manager of the Hastings ShopWatch scheme, said: “Stephen is one of a handful of very prolific offenders who cause a huge amount of trouble for shops in the town. Their thefts probably amount to hundreds of thousands of pounds every year, and that loss is ultimately passed on to consumers by way of increased prices on the shelves for this things we buy on our daily shops.
“His addiction is a common factor with many of these offenders – although he steals wine because of being dependent on alcohol – whereas others are often stealing items that can easily be sold at a fraction of their value in order to obtain money for drugs.
“We are trying to work more closely with CGL to ensure there is a clear understanding of the connection between addiction and theft to allow support teams to build a better picture of behaviour so that they can work out appropriate treatment plans.
“We are also assisting the Co-Op to secure evidential CCTV relating to thefts from their local stores to ensure that offenders are identified and issued with warnings, bans, or, where appropriate, prosecutions.”
