Man jailed for two years after stealing 37 joints of meat and electronics from Northampton shops

A 32-year-old man was jailed last week after he stole 37 joints of meat from a Co-op store in Northampton and as well as electronic items from a town centre store.

Nathan Bettles, 32, of HMP Peterborough, visited the Co-op in Barry Road, Northampton on eight separate occasions between November 12 2020 and December 2020 and stole up to six joints of meat at a time.

Bettles additionally stole a packet of apple pies and a milkshake on one occasion.

This is not the first time Bettles has been caught out by police. He was also sentenced on October 17 2020 after he attempted to steal a Blu-ray boxset worth £69.99 from HMV in Northampton town centre. Bettles was further sentenced for stealing a vape device from a market stall in town on the same day.

The 32-year-old man was sentenced to 23 months in prison at Northampton Crown Court last week.

Police Sergeant Tor Lindsay, from the Northampton Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Nathan Bettles is a prolific shoplifter and we are very pleased that he has been given a decent sentence in prison for his many crimes.

“People work hard to buy things like electronics and food for their family so it is imperative that when someone like Nathan Bettles tries to take these things brazenly, without paying, that we act swiftly and with an attitude of zero-tolerance.

"I hope that Bettles uses his time in prison to reflect on his behaviour in order to make better choices when he is released.”