A man has been banned from several stores including Co-op, Morrisons and Tesco after stealing as much as £12,000 worth of items
A serial thief has been banned from many of Britain’s leading supermarkets after a £12,000 shoplifting spree in dozens of separate raids.
Christopher Armstrong took food, alcohol, toiletries as well as cleaning products during 33 thefts from stores including Co-op, Morrisons, Tesco and Boyes, all in Northumberland. Newcastle Crown Court heard some of the stolen goods he walked out of shops with, between August and November last year, were recovered.
The 40-year-old, of Woodlea, Newbiggen-by-the-Sea, Northumberland, was convicted of 33 offences of theft, four of attempted theft, one unrelated theft of a bike and a bail act offence. Mr Recorder Moxon sentenced him to 12 months behind bars and said shoplifting is “not victimless”.
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The recorder said Armstrong targeted £12,000-worth of stock during the offending, adding: “The news repeatedly tells us of the prolific nature of shop thefts on the high streets nowadays. The victims are the honest shoppers who ultimately have to pay the costs as items are increased in order to cover the shop’s losses.”
Recorder Moxon imposed a five-year Criminal Behaviour Order on Armstrong, which bans him from every Co-op and Morrisons store in Northumberland.
Armstrong is now also banned from Home Bargains, B&M, One Stop, Aldi, Herons, Lidl and Spar in Ashington. He is also barred from Farmfoods, Iceland and Boyes in Blyth and Aldi and Sainsburys in Alnwick. He faces a further ban from Herons and Home Bargains in Killingworth.
He must leave any retail premises immediately if instructed to. The court heard Armstrong, who had suffered bereavement, was stealing to fund his cocaine and alcohol habit and sometimes had an accomplice. Since being remanded in custody he has been working to address his issues and has a chance of employment when he is released.
It comes after figures were released showing almost 800 shoplifting cases a day went unsolved in England and Wales last year. This is up 18% in a year, data from the House of Commons Library shows. A total of 289,464 shoplifting investigations were closed with no suspect identified in 2024-25.
This is up from 245,337 the previous year, and is the equivalent to 793 shoplifting cases going unsolved a day. Lib Dem MP Joshua Reynolds, a former shop worker, said: “These shameful figures show that the police are failing to crack down on the shoplifting epidemic facing our country.”
Figures show 55% of investigations into shoplifting offences carried out by police ended with no suspect being identified. And just 18% of shoplifting cases reported to the police led to a suspect being charged.
The Government has vowed to tackle shoplifting by bulking up neighbourhood policing teams and tearing up Tory legislation which means thefts under £200 are less like to result in prosecution.
Mr Reynolds hit out at Tory police and crime commissioner (PCC) Matthew Barber, who this month said the public has a “responsibility” to challenge shoplifters. Mr Reynolds said: “The suggestion by a Conservative police chief that it’s up to the public to stop shoplifters was both reckless and dangerous.
“I’ve worked in retail so I know what it feels like to have to confront shoplifters – it’s frightening and it’s dangerous. Senior police chiefs should be protecting us, not passing the buck to the public.”
Earlier this month Mr Barber, PCC for Thames Valley, said: “I am not laying down some rules on this. But I encourage people to do something.