Face of prolific shoplifter who stole items worth £1,300 despite ban from shops in Southend and Westcliff

A prolific shoplifter who stole items worth nearly £1,300 despite a two-year ban from stores has been put behind bars. James Coleman, 35, was jailed for a year for the criminal behaviour.

Coleman, of no fixed abode, had been made subject to a Criminal Behaviour Order in March last year, banning him from entering certain shops in Southend and Westcliff for two years. But Coleman carried out 11 thefts from shops in the two areas between May 26 and June 10.

The items he stole had a total value of nearly £1,300. He was arrested by officers working as part of Op Raker on 11 June and then charged with a series of offences including theft from a shop and breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order.

READ MORE: The eerie 'abandoned' section of A12 near Essex which has been left redundant since the 1980s

ALSO READ: Council to spend £25k to crack down on nuisance boy racers at Essex car park

At Southend Magistrates’ Court on June 12 he admitted the charges and was sentenced to a total of a year in prison. Investigating officer PC Lois Greenlees said: "James Coleman is a prolific shoplifter who has caused significant issues to local businesses

"We are committed to helping make Southend a safe and prosperous area, and tackling shoplifters is an important part of that. We support our businesses and want to ensure they can go about their trade without concerns about people coming in and impacting on their work."

Get more court and crime news from EssexLive straight to your inbox for FREE