Category: NEWS
Late ‘Valentines gift’ theft lands Hastings man with community service and compensation order
Benjamin Quaye, of Mount Pleasant Road, Hastings, admitted in Hastings Magistrate Court to two counts of shop theft, including one, from Boots in Bexhill on 20th February 2024, which his defence claimed had been motivated by an upset partner who he had failed to buy a Valentine’s gift for. In this case the theft was of cosmetics valued at £290 – which he was ordered to repay to the store in compensation as the goods had never been recovered. The second theft took place on 16th October at M&S in Hastings, when Quaye admitted to stealing two items of clothing […]
Read MoreLewes woman receives 18-week suspended sentence for multiple shop thefts
Christine Brown, currently of Lewes, but formerly with a history of offending in Hastings, pleaded guilty to eight counts of shop theft, and was sentenced at Hastings Magistrates court on 6th November 2024 to 18 weeks in prison. She was also ordered to pay £85 in court costs, a £154 victim surcharge, and received a £40 fine for breaching conditions of an earlier conviction. The prison sentence was suspended by magistrates for 18 months, conditional on her receiving no further convictions in that time. She was also ordered to attend drug rehabilitation and to take part in at least 15 […]
Read MoreText of responses to shop theft inquiry, 2024
Examination of witnesses Sophie Jordan, James Lowman and Adam Ratcliffe. Q34 The Chair: Welcome to this second oral evidence session for our inquiry into shoplifting. I would be grateful if our witnesses could introduce themselves. James Lowman: I am the chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores. There are 50,000 convenience stores in the UK, and it is our job to represent them to government. Sophie Jordan: I am the manager of the National Association of Business Crime Partnerships, the representative body for Business Crime Reduction Partnerships in the UK. Adam Ratcliffe: I am the operations director for Safer […]
Read MoreGovernment inquiry calls for more positive action to tackle shop theft
[November 2024] Coming after a month where some of Hastings’ most prolific offernders have received prison sentences for shop theft, burglary, and violence, we look at some practical solutions being put forward that might further help turn the tide in the fight against retail crime. The Justice and Home Affairs Committee has written to the Minister for Policing, Crime and Fire Prevention, Dame Diana Johnson MP, following their inquiry into the rising problem of shop theft. The recommendations include A short summary of findings is as follows: Summary of Crime Reporting, Motivations, Police Perceptions, and Recommended Solutions 1. Why Few […]
Read MoreCrime spree leads to 56-week sentence for string of burglaries and shop thefts for Hastings man
Nathan Higgins, of no fixed address pleaded guilty at Brighton Crown Court for what the court heard the judge describe as a ‘spree of offences’ that demonstrated the continuation of an ‘appalling record of flouting the law and failing to comply with the terms of previous court orders.’ Higgins received a 56-week prison term for crimes involving breaking into business premises, stealing charity collections, shoplifting, and stealing a valuable bicycle. He has close ties with Hastings, but is also well known across Sussex, with offences on record in other towns, including Eastbourne and Brighton. Previously this year he again appeared at […]
Read MoreAlcohol addiction leads to Hastings man’s conviction for mutiple shoplifting offences
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 […]
Read MoreRepeat shoplifter returned to jail after serving previous prison term earlier in the year
A prolific Hastings Shoplifter who has already spent time in jail this year for stealing from shops in town was handed a 26-week sentence at Hastings magistrates court after pleading guilty to a series of thefts, plus breaches of the terms of a criminal behaviour order. The court heard how 41-year-old Rona Colvin had failed to attend drug rehabilitation sessions, and had stolen from premises after being asked to leave by store staff – something a previous court hearing had specifically prohibited her from doing. She was charged with five counts of shoplifting over three dates in October 2024 relating […]
Read MoreProlific Hastings shoplifter remanded for sentencing likely to face long jail term
A prolific and frequently abusive and threatening shoplifter who targeted stores across East Sussex, and particularly Hastings, has been remanded in custody awaiting Crown Court sentencing after pleading guilty to 60 offences. Sixteen of these were for breaches of previous court orders and two were for common assault, with the remainder being for theft from stores across the area amounting to thousands of pounds over recent months. Christopher Ball, aged 28, of Terrace Road, St Leonards, appeared in Brighton Magistrates court on 2nd October 2024 and pleaded guilty to all charges. He admitted to having big problems with drug addiction […]
Read MoreOperation Sunshine 2024
The summer might not be what we’ve hoped for up until now, but the Hastings’ Police’s annual ‘Operation Sunshine’ has been in full swing for the last two weeks. The operation takes place during July and August every year and aims to keep Hastings town centre as free as possible of crime and anti-social behaviour during the daytime so that shoppers and tourists can enjoy the area. Supported by the Safer Hastings Partnership, Hastings Business Crime Reduction Partnership, and Love Hastings, the increased patrols make a real difference, and in just the first two weeks have seen police officers speak […]
Read MoreShoplifter who plagued Hastings and Bexhill stores jailed and issued with court order banning him from shops across the region
A prolific shoplifter has been jailed just days after he was arrested for multiple offences in Bexhill. Chris Ball was taken into custody on 29 April having been identified in connection with a string of offences at stores in the town. He brazenly walked into premises with his hood up and took items including wine, meat, chocolate, washing detergent, dishwasher tablets, cheese, candles and cakes. He filled up his own bags and even shopping baskets with goods, before making off without any attempt to pay for the items, which totalled hundreds of pounds. Ball targeted the following stores between 14 […]
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