Shoplifting trio placed before the courts after spate of thefts in Broxtowe

Chris Gras, Craig Smyth and Emily Clark are responsible for a significant number of retail crime offences, raiding shops and supermarkets to steal from the shelves.

Their prolific offending was causing serious issues for businesses and creating a nuisance for shop staff and customers.

Officers from the Broxtowe neighbourhood policing team have worked alongside store security teams to identify the trio as responsible for a string of offences.

Gras, 36, of Cromford Road, Langley Mill, pleaded guilty to ten counts of shoplifting and was jailed for a total of 54 weeks at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, August 11.

Smyth, 33, of Lovatt Drive, Langley Mill, was handed a community order with a drug rehabilitation requirement on Wednesday, August 12, after admitting nine shop theft offences.

Clark, 34, of Cromford Road, Langley Mill, pleaded guilty to four counts of shoplifting and magistrates in Derby sentenced her to six weeks in jail, suspended for six months, on Saturday, August 8.

Inspector Usha Madaraa, local area commander for Broxtowe, said: "Although most of our persistent shoplifters commit their crimes alone, we gathered evidence which showed these three offenders were working together to raid shops across the area.

"Their collaboration and relentless offending was making life a misery for staff so my officers have worked extremely hard to arrest them, charge them and place all three before the courts.

“Help is available to shoplifters who want to get out of their cycle of offending.

“However, if they refuse to engage and continue to steal we will continue to proactively pursue them.

“Shoplifting is a blight on communities and we understand how dispiriting it can be for store staff to be targeted by offenders like these three.

“We will continue to work with shop security teams to target the small number of persistent offenders who are responsible for the vast majority of shop thefts in our neighbourhoods.”