Three prolific Mansfield and Ashfield thieves put behind bars

David Lafferty, aged 42, was arrested last week after he was linked to multiple shop thefts over the summer.

Lafferty, of Bentinck Street, Sutton-in-Ashfield, helped himself to clothes, laundry and health supplements worth more than £600.

Appearing at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court on 1 September 2022, Lafferty, who has multiple previous convictions, pleaded guilty to eight theft offences and was jailed for six months.

Zeke Dalziel, aged 26, was caught on CCTV using a bank card he’d just stolen from a parked car.

Dalziel was seen buying scratch-cards in a shop after breaking onto a car on Sadler Street Mansfield.

Dalziel, of Bailey Crescent, Mansfield, later pleaded guilty to theft and fraud by false representation and was jailed for six weeks on 26 August. He will also have to serve the remainder of a previous sentence.

Aaron Turner, aged 34, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to six shop thefts in and around Mansfield and was jailed for 16 weeks on 25 August.

Two other men have been charged with theft offences.

Inspector Kylie Davies, district commander for Mansfield, said: “Some people think that shoplifting and other non-violent thefts are minor offences, but this is simply not the case.

“These offences have a huge impact on local businesses and the wider town. We won’t tolerate them and are working hard to identify and disrupt the most prolific offenders.

“We will soon be working with a rolling cohort of five known repeat offenders and seeing what we can do to put a stop to their behaviour. As well as arresting and charging people, we will also be applying for criminal behaviour orders that will be used to disrupt people’s activities.

“This recent spate of convictions is a further sign of that intent and we are working hard with our partners to bring more offenders to justices. My thanks go to everyone at the neighbourhood, response, managed incident and prisoner handling teams who have worked so hard to deliver these results.”

Criminal behaviour orders are granted by magistrates to people convicted of offences if they believe that person is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to others. Breaching an order can lead to a term of imprisonment of up to four years.

The first orders in Mansfield are expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks. Officers are then hoping to target a continually rotating cohort of five offenders.