Four shoplifters jailed after recklessly stealing from Doncaster shops

Kelly Firth, Ashley Metcalf, Michael Hughes and Shaun Fitzgerald have all been sent to prison after committing a series of thefts at shops across the city.

Firth, of no fixed abode, stole over £400 worth of products from the same One Stop shop in Princess Avenue in Stainforth.

She plundered jars of coffee, tubs of butter and blocks of cheese, as well as a number of other items, from the shop over a five-month period, with the 36-year-old pleading guilty to 10 counts of theft at Doncaster Magistrates' Court on 5 January.

She has since been jailed for 12 weeks.

Metcalf, aged 41, of Beckett Road, Wheatley, stole from Savers, a petrol station and a store in Wheatley Hall Retail Centre during a reckless £405 shoplifting spree.

He was identified as a prolific offender and was arrested and charged with four counts of theft, pleading guilty to the offences at Doncaster Magistrates' Court on 4 January.

He received a 16-week custodial sentence.

Michael Hughes, aged 37, of Rainford Square, Kirk Sandall, was jailed for 13 weeks in the same court on 8 January after he was caught on CCTV stealing from a One Stop in Balby.

He was challenged by a security guard in the store but managed to escape before he was later arrested by officers.

Shaun Fitzgerald, aged 55, of Goodison Boulevard, Cantley, who is another known shoplifter, received a four-week prison sentence after stealing multiple packets of cheese and several jars of coffee from a Co-op in Bessacarr.

This latest round of convictions for multiple prolific thieves follows on from praise given to Doncaster's dedicated retail crime team who were recently commended by a security boss for helping to turn the tide on shoplifters in the city.

Louise Green, from Doncaster's retail crime team, said: "We see first-hand from victims of shoplifting just how devastating a crime it can be.

"These thefts can destroy small businesses and retail staff should not have to put up with shoplifters in their line of work.

"We've built really strong relationships which has allowed us to gather vital intelligence on the behaviour and patterns of prolific offenders, and it's pleasing to see custodial sentences being given out by the courts.

"I would urge businesses to continue reporting these incidents to us so we can properly investigate as we will not allow their crimes to wreak misery on our local shops and their hard-working staff."