Bilston shoplifter jailed after taking £200-worth of goods

Molly Jones, aged 28, of Bilston, was handed a 32-week sentence by magistrates at the North Staffordshire Justice Centre on Saturday (8 February) and ordered to pay court costs after pleading guilty to four counts of theft from a shop.

Jones was spotted in the Co-op store, on Wood Road, at around 10am on February 6, stealing a quantity of meat and household items before leaving the scene in a white Ford transit van. 

She had previously been identified as a suspect in other instances of shoplifting in the area.

Staffordshire Police worked with officers from West Midlands Police who located the van and arrested Jones short time later. 

PC Richard Rackham, of south Staffordshire local policing team, who was the officer in charge of the case, said: “I am pleased Jones was handed a jail term for her offending after her shoplifting spree which caused financial harm to a number of businesses in the area. 

“I hope this reassures the public we will do what we can to tackle the issues that impact their community and livelihoods.”