Corby shop thief back in jail after he turned violent in Boots during Christmas crime spree

Robert Mort is a serial shoplifter and has assaulted people in shops he's trying to steal from

A shoplifter from Corby went on a month-long crime spree while already subject to a suspended prison sentence.

Robert Mort, of Ripley Walk, Corby, stole clothing, perfume and gift sets from shops across the town. Magistrates decided to send him to jail for eight months when they heard how he had assaulted a woman in Boots during one of his shopping trips.

He is already banned from entering Corby Next after he assaulted a shop worker there last year while trying to steal £200 worth of jeans.

The 36-year-old has a long history of thieving from shops and was given a four-week suspended prison sentence in August last year for stealing from H&M, TK Maxx, Best One and Co-op in Corby.

But while still subject to the conditions of that suspended sentence, he went into Boots on December 6 and stole Ted Baker items worth £150. The following day he went back again and assaulted a woman there while trying to steal more items.

Just a week later, on December 13, he went back to Boots and attempted to steal L'Oreal shampoo, two No 7 gift sets and a £60 mirror.

On the same day he took a bottle of ceramic wash from Halfords.

And on December 15 he was back in Boots, this time to pick up three No 7 presentation boxes - for free.

After a Christmas break, Mort went to New Look on January 5 for some sales 'shopping,' stealing three pairs of brown woolly gloves and two handbags.

On the same day he took five tubes of mascara from Boots in the town centre.

Mort appeared before magistrates last week to admit the offences, which he had originally planned to deny at a trial. Magistrates told Mort he may have had a lesser sentence if he had pleaded guilty to his crimes at the first appearance.

They invoked his original four week prison sentence and gave him a total of 32 weeks in jail.