Shop thief jailed after series of offences in Worksop

Richard Frost, of no fixed address, had previously pleaded guilty and received a suspended sentence of 20 weeks suspended for 12 months for a number of earlier shop thefts in Worksop but will now spend over a year in prison after pleading guilty to further offences committed during that period.

The 45-year-old attended Mansfield Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, 11 July 2020, after being arrested by the Worksop Neighbourhood Policing Team the previous day on suspicion of the latest thefts. Frost was also ordered to pay £454.50 in compensation.

Inspector Neil Bellamy, the Neighbourhood Policing Inspector for Bassetlaw, said: “This is testament to the hard work of the neighbourhood policing teams and their dedication to tackling issues such as shop theft.

“The action taken was swift and ultimately led to Frost returning to the courts and being brought to justice, which we hope will reassure local residents, business owners and managers that reports of shop thefts will be investigated and taken seriously.

“Shop thefts are absolutely not ‘victimless crimes’ and we will not tolerate such behaviour in our area.”

Arresting officer PC Lee Ryan, who works within Inspector Bellamy’s Worksop Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Richard Frost is a prolific thief who was only recently given a suspended sentence for earlier offences by the courts.

“After his last court appearance, he continued to target shops in the local area, taking a number of items such premium brand coffee and washing machine products, which we were made aware of and soon after were able to take action. It is good to see the courts support those efforts by imposing this kind of sentence.

“Frost will now spend more than a year in prison and we hope that this offers reassurance to the local community that we are there for them and we are dedicated to tackling criminals in order protect what matters most to them."

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