Next handbag thief from Corby locked up over Christmas after police shoplifting crackdown

A serial Corby shoplifter with dozens of previous convictions will spend Christmas in prison after being jailed for stealing £90 of handbags from Next.

Robert William Mort, aged 38, has previously been jailed several times including after he turned violent at Phoenix Parkway.

He was back before Northampton Magistrates’ Court yesterday (Wednesday, December 20) after being charged with one count of theft from the Next store at Kettering’s Carina Road retail park on December 12.

He admitted the offence and was sentenced to 10 weeks’ imprisonment, and told to pay £90 compensation.

Sentencing notes for Mort, of Ripley Walk, stated the reason for his imprisonment was that ‘the offence(s) are so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified’ and noted his ‘previous record of similar offences’.

Mort’s arrest and charge is one of several positive results for Corby’s Neighbourhood Policing Team as they carry out Operation Lapland patrols in the town.

The operation is the Force’s annual county-wide push to tackle acquisitive crimes such as shoplifting, burglary and theft from vehicles, which historically rise in the run-up to Christmas.

As part of this, Corby Neighbourhood Policing Team is using targeted plain clothes patrols as well as uniformed activity, and is doing extensive work with local shop managers to help and support them, and gather the evidence needed to bring people before the courts.

Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant Stephen Briggs said: “In the run-up to Christmas we have really sought to crack down on shoplifters and are making proactive arrest attempts every day.

“This increasingly robust approach to shoplifting has had a real effect in reducing offences as it has led to more than 10 arrests and multiple charges, and we are seeking to remand people in custody wherever possible.

“We have known ‘regulars’ for shop thefts who make a living from organised offending, and there’s clear evidence this is linked to the illegal drugs industry in Corby.

“Tackling drug harm is one of our priorities, so this zero-tolerance approach and going after offenders as soon as they are linked to an offence has knock-on benefits all round.

“Our message to offenders is simple – if you take what’s not yours, expect a visit from us sooner rather than later.

“While sentencing remains a matter for the courts, we remain committed to charging as many offenders as possible in order to bring them to justice.”