Thief stole chocolate from shop he was banned from

A man has been jailed after stealing chocolate from a shop he was banned from entering.

Martin Toon, aged 32, was issued with a Criminal Behaviour Order by a magistrate in November last year, banning him from all Co-Op stores in the Ashfield district.

On Monday 5 February, he was caught on CCTV as he walked into the Co-Op branch in Alfreton Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield, and helped himself to chocolate bars worth around £30.

When challenged, he then threatened to assault a staff member.

Toon, Welbeck Street, Sutton, was arrested on Wednesday and pleaded guilty the following day to theft, breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order, and an offence under the Public Order Act.

Appearing at Nottingham Magistrates Court, he was jailed for eight weeks.

PC Charles Richmond, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“Toon is a prolific thief who was banned from entering this store precisely because of this type of offending.

“As he has just discovered to this cost, Criminal Behaviour Orders have real teeth, and the courts take an extremely dim view of people who flout them so blatantly.”

Criminal Behaviour Orders are granted by the courts after applications from the police. They are increasingly being used to regulate the behaviour of known shop thieves and to protect local businesses.