A prolific shoplifter has been jailed after repeatedly targeting Crawley town centre just one day after being handed a Community Order for previous thefts.
Laurie Murphey, 34, of no fixed address, ignored a Community Protection Notice banning him from the town centre and went on to commit a fresh series of shop thefts across Crawley.
Murphey appeared at Crawley Magistrates’ Court on 18 November, where he admitted:
- Eight shop thefts
- Eight breaches of a Community Protection Notice
- One count of obstructing a police officer
He was arrested by officers from Crawley Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) on 17 November and remanded for court, where he was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison.
Offending Continued Despite Court Order
The court heard that Murphey appeared in court on 20 September for shop theft offences and was issued with a Community Order.
Yet on 21 September, just a day later, he walked into Peacocks in Queens Square where he was seen stealing items.
He returned to the same store again on 25 September, before continuing a pattern of offending throughout September and October, targeting stores including Sainsbury’s in Crawley Avenue, and repeatedly entering Crawley town centre despite being barred from doing so.
Police: “Little Regard for Court Orders”
Crawley District Commander Chief Inspector Steve Turner condemned Murphey’s behaviour and praised local officers for their work in tackling persistent offenders.
He said:
“Our Neighbourhood Policing Team has worked closely alongside businesses in Crawley town centre to identify prolific offenders and ensure we gather evidence to pursue prosecutions against them.
“We understand the impact that shop theft has on retail workers and on the public, and we are determined to catch offenders.
“Murphey showed little regard for a court order which required him to stay out of Crawley town centre and the County Oak Retail Park. So we are pleased that he was apprehended and is now serving a significant custodial sentence.
“We continue to encourage the public to report incidents to us and will continue to engage with businesses in Crawley to tackle shoplifting.”
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