Aggressive shoplifter jailed, banned from five Southend stores

A shoplifter is now banned from multiple grocery shops in Southend as he begins a prison sentence for more than a dozen offences.

Essex Police reported on Wednesday (8) that Simon Price of Dapple Close in Rochford was arrested following an incident in London Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, last week. He has been charged by officers with 16 counts of shoplifting, two counts of assault by beating, and one count of possession of an offensive weapon, harassment, and a public order offence.

On Friday (3) at Southend-on-Sea Magistrates’ Court, Price was found guilty of the shoplifting, possessing an offensive weapon and the assaults by beating. He was sentenced to 50 weeks in prison and given a two-year Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO).

The order prevents Price from entering any Tesco, BP garage and Co-op in Southend, as well as the Morrison’s store in London Road, Hadleigh, and the One-Stop store in Sutton Road, Southend.

Following the conviction, Sergeant Stephen Wells said, ““This sentence was made possible thanks to our Operation Raker – we have dedicated officers targeting prolific offenders in our community and bringing them to justice.

“Price’s was prolific; his shoplifting all took place across the last month. He was stealing from shops across Southend and the surrounding area every other day.

“He now has the time to consider his behaviour in prison before he is released, and must follow the rules set out in his CBO or face returning to jail.

“We are making it as clear as possible – you cannot assault shop workers, you cannot shoplift and you cannot carry a weapon in Essex and get away with it. We don’t tolerate persistent anti-social behaviour and want Southend to be a safe place to live, work and visit.”