Supermarket shoplifter jailed for £15k spree

A "prolific" shoplifter who targeted supermarkets across England and Wales has been jailed for three years and four months.

Martin Collins of Lever Street, Rochdale, scoured dozens of stores between September and November stealing goods worth £15,000 in total, Humberside Police said.

His shoplifting spree ended when he was caught and arrested at Lakeside Retail Park in Scunthorpe on 8 November.

The 28-year-old was sentenced at Grimsby Crown Court on 6 December after previously admitting 22 counts of shop theft at the town's magistrates court.

Collins' raids swept across north Wales including Bangor, Caernarfon, Rhyl and Wrexham, as well as the Midlands, North West, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire.

He mainly targeted Morrisons branches and, at one store near Blackpool on 30 September, he lifted goods worth nearly £1,500 - the biggest haul of his spree.

The shoplifter was caught after officers were called to reports of a man taking a large number of items off the shelves at an Asda store in Scunthorpe and then stashing them inside a bag.

Officers launched an investigation after they discovered a man had been on "a country-wide thieving spree" between 30 September and 6 November.

Det Sgt Ian Potter, from Humberside Police's Grimsby criminal investigation department, said: "Collins is a prolific criminal who set out on a spree to cause disruption to multiple shop owners and communities across the county.

"Shop theft is not a low-level crime; it has a significant impact on businesses, customers, retail staff, and even wider communities.

"Crimes of this nature will not be tolerated, and we will do everything we can to seek justice to ensure our communities and businesses feel safe, and criminals are punished."

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