Sweet-toothed Sussex thief jailed after stealing 144 chocolate bars from West Sussex Co-Op

A Sussex shoplifter has been jailed after admitting to stealing a number of items, including £116 worth of chocolate bars. Jordan Thomson, 30, of no fixed address, has been sentenced to 22 weeks behind bars for shoplifting offences, not long after he was released from prison for a similar reason.

In his latest shoplifting spree, Thomson was caught stealing 48 Twix bars, 48 Snickers bars, 24 Bounty bars and 24 Yorkie bars from Co-Op in New Broadway, Worthing, on April 30. As well as this, he was also found to have stolen 10 jars of coffee, five packets of washing detergent, two bottles of vodka and a large quantity of meat from various stores in Worthing in the few weeks after this.

Having been a “persistent offender”, staff were able to identify Thomson and alert Sussex Police, as well as providing them with CCTV clips as evidence. It was found that the stores Thomson stole from included Co-Op in South Street, Savers in Montague Street, Tesco in Dominion Road and Co-Op in Ham Road (Shoreham).

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In CCTV footage, Thomson can be seen stealing items of the shelves and putting them inside his coat and inside a bag before leaving the shop. He is also seen walking out the shop holding a stack of chocolate.

The 30-year-old was arrested and charged with six counts of theft that totalled £357.40 worth of goods. Thomson pleaded guilty to all these offences and was jailed for 22 weeks at Crawley Magistrates’ Court on May 22, as well as being ordered to pay £239 in costs.

Police Sergeant Sam Milsom, of the Response Investigations Team, said: “A number of our officers worked with great efficiency – assisted by our Business Crime Team – to present a case to the Crown Prosecution Service in a timely manner. This meant we were able to secure charges against a prolific offender and prevent further loss to businesses in Adur and Worthing.