Shoplifter who stole goods worth more than £4,000 across 37 offences in Boston area and Skegness jailed

Billy Appleyard, 27, of no fixed abode, committed 37 acts of shoplifting in Boston, Wyberton, Kirton or Skegness between December 17 and April 7 – on average, one every three days.

The businesses affected were Spar, Morrisons, B&M, M&S Food, Co-op, Farm Foods and Tesco.

The combined value of the items taken equalled £4,141.50. However, in two instances the value was not known.

The individual thefts ranged from £24 (bacon) to £328 (whiskey and vodka).

Meat accounted for a significant proportion of the combined value, with the next four biggest sums all relating to the foodstuff – £300, £280, £249.10 and £247.25.

Other items taken included: coffee, wash tablets, wine, butter, tuna, cheese, chocolate, and £100’s worth of frozen prawns.

Appleyard appeared at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court last month, where he faced 41 charges in all.

The other four offences were: an assault charge, committed in Boston, on March 17; two counts of fraud, through the use of another person’s bank card, in Kettering, on March 21, 2024; and a count of theft of a leather purse, bank cards, and cash, on the same date, also in Kettering.

Guilty pleas were admitted to all charges.

For each offence, Appleyard was committed to prison for 34 weeks, 18 weeks or eight weeks, with all terms but one running concurrently – making for a total custodial sentence of one year.

Insp Jacky Evans, of Lincolnshire Police, spoke to The Standard last week about this case.

She said the force faced challenges in tracking down Appleyard, partly because his offending shifted from Skegness to Boston.

In cases of serial shoplifters, she added, sometimes offences are reported as a batch, which can give rise to a sizable tally of thefts as there is time in between for others to be committed.

She welcomed Appleyard’s sentence, describing it as ‘rare’ in terms of shoplifting.

“I think it sends a message out,” she said. “It’s brilliant.”

“I was impressed with the court,” she added.

She stressed that shoplifting was ‘not a victimless crime’, if only through how it can affect shop prices.

“We all pay the price, ultimately, because the price of goods will increase,” she said.

She encouraged retailers to ‘keep the reports coming in’.

“If we don’t know about it, there really is little we can do about it,” she said.

LIST OF GOODS TAKEN (VALUE IN BRACKETS):

• baby milk (£25)
• coffee and washing tablets (£70)
• coffee, wash tablets and chocolate (£25)
• meat and wine (unknown value)
• cleaning products (£120)
• various items (£82.29)
• coffee and washing products (£40)
• washing products and cheese (£67.69)
• coffee (£40)
• sweets and wine (£52.46)
• meat (£300)
• meat (£280)
• alcohol (£110.48)
• alcohol (£64.50)
• meat (£247.25)
• laundry tablets and drinks (£201.90)
• coffee and washing up liquid (£78.50)
• coffee and washing up liquid (£78.50)
• detergent, coffee and cheese (£124.55)
• butter and tuna (£41.55)
• groceries (£121.85)
• cheese and butter (£142.90)
• groceries (£83.75)
• bacon (£24.50)
• chocolate bars and drinks (£31)
• groceries including Nutella and honey (£108.15)
• groceries (£235.10)
• meat (£249.10)
• coffee (£65.43)
• cheese and butter (£104.20)
• frozen prawns (£100)
• meat (£112.95)
• Jack Daniel's whiskey and vodka (£207.25)
• laundry tablets and drinks (£69.50)
• Jack Daniel's whiskey and bottles of vodka (£328)
• coffee (£108.15)
• and alcoholic drinks (unknown value)

Total value of goods, where known: £4,141.50.