Tough new stance on hardcore group of Corby’s worst shoplifters sees drop in crime

Corby Police have adopted a new hard-line approach to a group of incessant shoplifters who they say are helping stoking a drug-fuelled crime wave.

Officers say there is a group of between 20 and 30 class-A drug users in the town who are openly and repeatedly targeting a small number of shops, putting staff at risk.

Many of them simply walk into shops, steal armfuls of merchandise, and walk out again. They sell the items quickly for money to buy crack cocaine and heroin.

Towards the end of 2023, when the issue began to tip-over into threats of violence, officers decided to take a hard-line to protect shop workers and launched Operation Lapland. It resulted in 18 persistent local shoplifters being charged.

Making use of the successful network of members from the Corby Retail Crime Initiative and good relationships with shop security guards, officers asked stores to quickly share information about shoplifters while they were still on the scene. They prioritised these calls to make quick arrests and fought hard for positive charging decision to get Corby’s worst shoplifters before the courts.

They also visited persistent offenders when they were released from prison to make sure they knew about the new approach and to try and divert them away from crime. Officers also made sure there was a visible police presence in the town centre and at Phoenix Parkway.

‘If they’re locked up then they’re not buying crack’

Sergeant Steve Briggs said that the results had been unprecedented.

"These people are walking into Next and helping themselves to hundreds of pounds worth of clothes then walking out,” he said.

"We’re not targeting old ladies stealing a packet of custard creams here. These are prolific drug users who are fuelling the drugs trade in this town. They’re the ones we've been targeting.

"As soon as they get out of custody, we go and visit them and give them words of advice. We tell them they need to be looking over their shoulder and as soon as they reoffend we arrest them.”

Sgt Briggs said that while many of the offenders have been locked up, there has been a significant drop – sometimes of up to 40 per cent – in thefts, robberies and violence offences across the town.

“If we bombard the courts with person after person then the magistrates see so many of them that they start to spot the patterns and realise that this is a real problem,” he said.

"Lots have been given custodial sentences and we were really pleased when John McAulay and Matthew Causer were told they had to pay back £10,000 and given long prison terms.

"It’s definitely having an impact on the drugs trade in the town. If they’re locked up then they’re not buying crack cocaine.

‘They need to protect their staff’

Officers have also targeted the local drug dealers who are supplying the persistent users and more than a dozen were arrested at the end of last year, with their cases still going through the courts.

"We raided one place and found a lot of drugs,” said Sgt Briggs. “But we also found 106 Yankee Candles so we know that they’re the same people who are selling this stuff across Corby.”

Sgt Briggs said it’s disappointing that many big retailers including Next and M&S refused to provide security guards in their Corby stores. When BP Fourways was repeatedly targeted, following pressure from this newspaper and from Corby Police, bosses eventually installed security guards and cut the number of offences from hundreds, to zero, overnight.

"These are multi-million pound companies and they need to protect their staff,” said Sgt Briggs.

"We saw what happened at the BP Garage and it shows that security guards are a good deterrent. There are good measures in place at Asda, Tesco and The Range here in Corby and we know that does deter most of the shoplifters. They don’t tend to go into the shops that show a little but of robustness.

"They can also join our Retail Crime Initiative which is doing great work but some of them don’t want to pay for it.”

Officers are now turning their attention to the people who are buying the items stolen. Sergeant Briggs believes there is an organised network of semi-professional criminals providing a market for the stolen goods.

"We were told about one person who stole 30 Yankee Candles from a town centre shop,” he said. “We arrested him a few minutes later in Constable Avenue and he’d already sold them all.

"That tells us there’s people buying this stuff on a commercial scale. We’re looking for them.”

BEFORE THE COURTS – 21 Corby shoplifters sentenced by the courts in recent weeks

Many of the shoplifters arrested by police have already appeared in court. These are all the people who have been before magistrates on Corby-based shoplifting charges since November.

David Campbell appeared before magistrates on November 21 charged with one count of shoplifting from Game in Corby town centre. The 37-year-old, who gave his address as HMP Wayland, was ordered to pay £200 compensation and imprisoned for six weeks.

Matthew Causer, 45, of and John McAulay, 47, both of no fixed abode, were ordered to pay back £10,000 to shops they targeted across Corby The pair lifted armfuls of clothing they lifted off racks in Next before brazenly walking out with it. McAulay was given a year in prison and Causer was told to serve six months after their crime spree.

Joanna Taylor is one of Corby’s most persistent current offenders. She has racked up hundreds of shoplifting offences. Taylor, 40, of Stephenson Way, admitted 8 new theft offences and one of assault when she appeared before magistrates at the end of November. She stole booze and food from Tesco, One Stop, and M&S. She was ordered to undertake a six month community order and pay compensation to the shops. She was back before magistrates in December where she was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay Tesco £450 in compensation for two more offences. Then in January she was given a conditional discharge after admitting theft from Morrisons, two thefts from Asda and an assault.

Connor Gillespie, 33, of Carey Drive, who has a long criminal history, was sent to prison for ten weeks for stealing items from One Stop, Co-op and Matalan and for kicking a volunteer police officer in the groin.

Richard Flecknor was imprisoned for a week after he was caught stealing from One Stop and Co-op. The 36-year-old of James Watt Avenue was also ordered to compensate the shops to the tune of nearly £300. He has several serious criminal convictions under his belt.

Louise Wayman of Shire Road was given a community order in December after failing to comply with a previous court order imposed after she was convicted of eight thefts from the BP Fourways garage last March. The 32-year-old will have to complete 150 hours of unpaid work in the community. She also admitted theft from Boots in Uppingham and possession of heroin and cannabis.

James Adair, 35, of Brixham Walk, whose long criminal record includes stealing purses from old ladies, was given an eight-week jail term for yet more shoplifting offences including the theft of a large number of Yankee Candles from Savers.

Philip Leitch was given a six-month conditional discharge after admitting theft from Tesco in December. He was ordered to pay the shop £40 in compensation. The 35-year-old of Dumble Close is already banned from the Corby Candle after a previous incident. He then appeared again before magistrates on January 22 where he admitted five thefts from Corby’s two Tescos. He was given a ten-week suspended sentence with mandatory drug testing.

Eleanor Hunter, 34, has clocked up dozens of previous shoplifting convictions. She appeared before magistrates in December to plead guilty to another seven, all from One Stop Shop in Studfall Avenue. Hunter, of Surfleet Avenue, was given 21 weeks in prison and told she must pay back nearly £1,000 in compensation to the shop. Magistrates noted that she had previously failed to respond to non-custodial sentences so sent her to jail.

Linda Strain of Bonington Walk was given a suspended prison sentence when she appeared before magistrates in December. The 47-year-old shoplifter, who has a string of previous convictions, was given four weeks in prison, suspended for two years, and was ordered to pay £255 compensation to Next and Aldi.

Robert Mort, 38, spent Christmas in prison after he was caught stealing handbags from Next again. Mort, from Ripley Walk, has an unenviable record and was given ten weeks behind bars after magistrates heard he had again failed to stay out of trouble.

Robert Mould, 49, was locked up on Christmas eve after admitting burglary when he tried to get into One Stop Shop in Studfall Avenue. Mould, of Oakley Road, has racked up years’ worth of fraud and theft charges and will appear before the crown court in February for sentencing.

Heidi James, 23, of Dorking Walk, Corby, was locked up for 20 weeks on December 20 after admitting four theft offences from Tesco in Oakley Road, one in Peterborough and two in Bedford, plus possession of heroin. She was also ordered to pay £650 in compensation. James is no stranger to the criminal justice system.

Owen Halfpenny, of Yew Close, was caught stealing coats from Next worth more than £300 on December 15 and 18. He pleaded guilty, was bailed and will be sentenced in February. He was also taken into custody December 29 after resisting arrest and making off from Phoenix Parkway. He later appeared in court to admit resisting arrest and two counts of theft from Next and Iceland. He will be sentenced for those offences in March. He will stand trial in the magistrates court for allegedly assaulting a security guard in The Range, a charge he denies.

Paul Millar, of Staffa Walk, appeared before magistrates on January 10 to admit a charge of theft from Tesco in Kettering. He also admitted possession of a knife and heroin on a separate occasion. The 53-year-old was ordered to pay £11 in compensation and given a nine-month suspended prison term.

Kirk Smithson, 38, from Little Billing admitted shoplifting in Corby from Co-op, One Stop and Game as well as the theft of a parcel worth £325. He will be sentenced in February.

Gaalathwe Bogosibong was caught stealing football shirts worth £800 from Sports Direct at Phoenix Parkway on December 16. The 21-year-old, from Kings Cross Road in London, admitted the charge and was given a conditional discharge.

Dylon McGregor, 32, appeared before magistrates on January 17 to plead guilty to the theft of alcohol and food worth £1,300 from Tesco in Oakley Road on three dates in October and November. McGregor, of Dumble Close was sent to prison for 12 weeks and ordered to pay £1,300 in compensation to Tesco. He has a previous history of knife carying.

Jane Hill appeared before magistrates in January and admitted a theft from One Stop Shop and failing to surrender. The 38-year-old of Stephenson Way was given a ten week community order. Hill is another Corby resident who has previously appeared before magistrates.

Robert Gray, 53, of Newark Drive, was found guilty of the theft of whiskey from Sainsbury’s in Kettering and was sentenced to four months in prison because of his history of offending.