A prolific shoplifter has been sentenced and handed a sweeping ban from a range of retail outlets across Sussex following a month-long crime spree, Sussex Police have confirmed.
Lee Cummings, 23, of Ivy Arch Road in Worthing, admitted to 16 counts of theft at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Friday after police arrested him on 28 November. Between 3 and 28 November, he stole more than £940 worth of goods from shops across the county, including bottles of wine, beer, spirits, laundry products, meat joints, Yankee candles and Lego sets.
The court sentenced Cummings to 20 weeks in prison and imposed a three-year Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) prohibiting him from entering any Co-Op, B&M or Marks & Spencer stores in Sussex for the duration of the order. A £184 surcharge was also ordered.
Inspector Sharon Sawyer emphasised the impact of repeat offenders on local businesses and encouraged shops to report all incidents, no matter how small, so police can take appropriate action.
This enforcement comes amid wider efforts by Sussex Police to crack down on retail crime and persistent shoplifting in the region.
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