Prolific offender caused 'untold stress on the business community in Rushden' with string of thefts

A 40-year-old man who pleaded guilty at Northampton Magistrates’ Court to a string of thefts in Rushden has received a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years.

Christopher George Nash, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to a total of six offences and asked for a further 10 to be taken into consideration when he appeared before magistrates on November 28.

The offences related to two burglaries and four thefts from shops which took place in Rushden between September 19 and November 20 this year – when it is alleged Nash targeted various businesses to pay for his drug addiction.

On October 20 and November 20, Nash broke into the Full Gospel Church in High Street South, Rushden, and stole a video camera.

Earlier, on October 4, he stole a selection of cosmetics to the value of £400 from Wilko in College Street, Rushden.

The other three offences related to thefts from Rushden Service Station in John Clark Way, on September 19, 23 and 25, when Nash stole various meat to the combined total value of £136.29 and a jerry can of fuel.

Nash also asked for 10 further offences to be taken into consideration which included thefts of goods from Tesco, Asda, Co-op, Sainsbury’s and Wilko, which all took place over a similar period.

He was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for 24 months, ordered to complete both a drug rehabilitation and rehabilitation requirement and to pay a total £1,036.29 victim surcharge and court costs.

In addition to this, a community order which was made by Northampton Magistrates’ Court on October 10 this year, in connection to eight separate offences of thefts from a shop, was revoked.

Sgt Leigh Francoise Goodwin of the East Northants Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “Christopher Nash is a persistent acquisitive crime offender and has committed numerous offences to feed his drug addiction, which as you can imagine caused untold stress on the business community in Rushden.

“Drug harm is a matter of priority for the force, and we will continue to work with businesses to ensure that those who bring misery on our communities through persistent offending, are identified and brought to justice.”