Skegness man jailed for shop thefts and breaching court order

David Harkness, 51, of Prince Alfred Avenue, appeared before Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on Monday, February 9. He was charged with three counts of shop theft and three counts of breaching a CBO which had been issued on January 19 banning him from entering any retail premises in Skegness.

Lincolnshire Police said the court heard Harkness entered a number of stores in breach of the order and left without attempting to pay for goods.

On January 30, he stole items worth £70.17 from Aldi in Skegness.

On February 3, he stole £73.15 worth of goods from Spar, and later the same day stole items valued at £399.25 from Marks & Spencer.

Harkness pleaded guilty to the offences and was sentenced to 40 weeks in prison. He was also ordered to pay £73.15 in compensation to Spar and £199 to Marks & Spencer.

PC Lucy Hawley, Skegness Community Beat Manager and the officer in charge of the case, said police continue to work closely with retailers to tackle shop theft.

“We continue to work closely with our retail and security partners, and that collaboration is proving invaluable in helping us identify and apprehend offenders,” she said.

“We fully understand the impact that shop theft has, not only on store employees, who may find these incidents distressing and intimidating, but also on members of the public who witness them.

“There is also a very real financial cost to businesses. Stolen goods don’t simply disappear from the balance sheet; ultimately, those losses affect everyone.

“While we remain committed to offering support to individuals facing challenging circumstances, persistent offending and repeated breaches of Criminal Behaviour Orders cannot be ignored.

"Where such behaviour continues, we will pursue all available options to ensure those responsible are brought before the courts and face appropriate consequences.”