Corby armed robber back before court after taking bedding from Matalan, oil from Tesco and handling a stolen car

A Corby serial offender committed a string of new offences while awaiting a crown court robbery trial.

James McClafferty has now been given more jail time after a court heard how he committed more crimes ahead of a crown court trial for a spree of armed robberies.The 37-year-old from Crick Close was jailed for eight years and nine months for four armed robberies on shops across the Kettering borough he carried out in 2018 after a trial last month.

But McClafferty has now been back in court where magistrates heard he had committed more offences in the weeks before he had been due to stand trial.

Northampton Magistrates' Court heard last week how McClafferty, who has a long history of offending in Corby including convictions for fraud, dishonesty, theft and robbery, had admitted handling a stolen Vauxhall Antara and a blue badge on Christmas eve, 2020. He also pleaded guilty to failing to provide a specimen of blood to officers assessing whether he had been drink driving.

He was also facing two theft charges, which he admitted, of stealing a double-bedding set worth £60 from Matalan in Corby on January 14, 2020, and of stealing motor oil from the Tesco filling station on January 26, 2020.

Magistrates sentenced McClafferty to twenty weeks in prison, ordered him to pay £60 in compensation and endorsed his driving licence with ten points.