Banned from Co-op stores
A Gillingham man has received swift justice in court after committing multiple thefts and repeatedly breaching his criminal behaviour order.
Clive Tilley was issued the order by Medway Magistrates’ Court on 27 July 2023. It prohibited him from entering any Co-op, Sainsbury’s or Tesco store in Kent for five years.
On 3 November 2023, Tilley went into Sainsbury’s in Gillingham Road where he threatened and racially abused a security guard after he was asked to leave the premises.
He then stole quantities of meat worth more than £200 from Tesco in Sturdee Avenue, on three separate occasions between 23 and 26 November. At one of the incidents he assaulted a customer who tried to intervene.
Tilley committed two further thefts at the Co-op in Canterbury Street on 27 and 30 November. Property stolen included confectionary, meat and fish, valued at more than £120.
On Friday 1 December, he was tracked down and arrested in the High Street. Whilst in custody Tilley refused to take a mandatory drug test.
Tilley, of Granville Road, Gillingham was later charged by investigators from the Medway Victim Based Crime Team with five counts of theft, an assault, two public order offences – one racially aggravated, six breaches of a criminal behaviour order and failing to take a drug test whilst in detention.
The 41-year-old pleaded guilty to all the indictments at Medway Magistrates’ Court on Saturday 2 December. He was immediately sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment.
District Commander for Medway, Chief Inspector Trevor Jenner, said:
‘This criminal is a prolific thief who has shown a complete disregard for the law by blatantly breaching a criminal behaviour order imposed by a court to prevent him re-offending.
‘Our officers work closely with business owners and their security teams to ensure those who commit retail crime are swiftly brought to justice. Tilley is now quite rightly serving a prison sentence.’