Jailed: 'Brazen' shoplifter targeted multiple Black Country shops and threatened staff
A persistent shoplifter who stole from stores across the Brierley Hill area has been jailed for almost a year.
Chelsea Davies, of no fixed abode, targeted various retailers over several months, from small family shops to supermarkets, stealing items ranging from designer fragrances to household goods and foodstuffs.
Davies had been given a court order to engage with rehabilitation services in May for an earlier shoplifting offence.
Police also put a plan in place to help her by signposting her to support services in an effort to reduce her re-offending.
But Davies continued stealing from shops, sometimes threatening staff when challenged.
At a shop in Brierley Hill in October she placed several boxes of washing-up powder in her jacket.
She was spotted by a staff member who asked her to return the items but she refused and instead made for the exit, even stealing the staff member’s mobile phone and case, which contained cash and bank cards.
Before she fled, the staff member managed to grab Davies’s jacket, which contained identifying information and an address in Brierley Hill.
Police received further reports that led officers to believe Davies was continuing to steal from other shops in the area.
They interviewed staff and trawled through CCTV footage before arresting her on December 14.
She was charged with 16 counts of theft from shops across Brierley Hill and the surrounding areas and was convicted on all counts the following day.
At Wolverhampton Magistrates Court on December 15, the 30-year-old was sentenced to 51 weeks in prison.
Inspector Michelle Allen, Brierley Hill neighbourhood policing manager, said: “Chelsea Davies was a brazen shoplifter whose persistent offending over a period of time, stealing items totalling hundreds of pounds in value, was a blight on local retail outlets.
“We understand the cost to business and distress that shoplifting causes and where offences are reported we will investigate and work to identify those responsible.
"We also work with staff to improve security and discourage shoplifting through crime prevention and safeguarding advice.”
