Yahoo News A 'prolific' cake thief from Sittingbourne with a taste for traditional treats has been jailed
A 'prolific' cake thief from Sittingbourne who targeted shops in the town has been jailed. Sweet-toothed Joseph Clarke of Dickson Court was caught after officers from Kent Police looked at CCTV inside the Co-op in Murston.
In a trip to the supermarket on June 7, Clarke stole 12 boxes of Country Slices costing £22.80. Clarke, 51, returned to the same shop and took boxes of Cherry Bakewells, which are also made by Mr Kipling, priced at £24.
He returned once more on that day and stole 12 boxes of macaroons costing £18. Police investigating the thefts, looked at the in-store CCTV and tracked Clarke down in Murston Road on June 17.
He was arrested and charged with three counts of theft. Clarke was remanded in custody and appeared before Medway Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (June 18). He pleaded guilty to all charges and was immediately imprisoned for 120 days. He was also ordered to pay £64.80 compensation to the Co-op.
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Inspector Vanessa Foster of Swale Community Safety Unit said: "We will pursue prolific criminals relentlessly in order to protect our local business from their persistent, drug-driven thefts. While the stolen items in this case were not of a particularly high value, daily offences over a prolonged period can have a significant impact on the ability of these local stores to continue trading."
"Clarke admitted to being a drug user following his arrest and, if he fails to tackle the cause of his criminal activities, our officers will be alert for any further offending on his release from prison."
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