Ryan Breach, 36, of no fixed address, appeared before Lewes Crown Court where he admitted 13 shop thefts and eight breaches of a criminal behaviour order on February 23.
His offending took place between October to December last year, where he repeatedly targeted a Co-op store in Rowlands Road, Worthing, as well as other stores in the area.
He stole medicine worth £205 from Savers in Montague Street on November 3, protein powder from Holland & Barrett in Montague Street on October 25 and Lego products worth £360 from Morrison’s in Newland Street on November 17.
Breach was jailed for 16 months for his offences.
Alex Nash, 33, of Lyon Street West, Bognor, appeared before Crawley Magistrates Court on February 20 where he admitted 22 shop thefts, 12 breaches of a criminal behaviour order and possession of a class B and a class C drug.
His offending related to stores in Bognor, including the Tesco Express store in Aldwick Road. He targeted the store 15 times between January and February this year, including four thefts in one day on January 23.
He also targeted the Co-op in Chichester Road and stole items including laundry products, Easter Eggs, meat, cheese and alcohol during his crime spree.
Nash was jailed for ten months, and was ordered to pay compensation for the items he stole.
Joshua Frasier, 31, of no fixed address, appeared before Lewes Crown Court on February 25, where he admitted 21 shop thefts relating to stores in Crawley between October and January. This included three thefts of clothing from TK Maxx, as well as thefts at Sainsbury’s, Tesco and the Co-op in the town.
He was sentenced to two years in prison.
Max Huggett, 34, of Steyning Close, Northgate, appeared before Lewes Crown Court on March 9 where he admitted 17 shop thefts and 17 breaches of a criminal behaviour order.
His offending took place from October to January, where he targeted the Co-op store in Langley Green on multiple occasions, as well as one theft at Tesco in Hyde Drive.
Huggett was jailed for three months.
Officers across West Sussex have worked as part of Operation Apprentice alongside partner organisations including the business crime reduction partnership, retailers and local authorities to tackle shop theft and support businesses.
Speaking after the cases, Chief Inspector James Davidson said: “We understand the significant impact retail crime has on our communities as well as for shop staff and visitors, and tackling shoplifting is a priority for us.
“This should not simply be seen as a ‘part of the job’ for retail staff. We do not expect shop workers to place themselves in danger by intervening in incidents, and we continue to work with businesses to promote safe reporting practices and crime prevention measures.
“Visible policing and community reassurance remains central to our approach to tackling shop theft and supporting local businesses alongside our partners including the Business Crime Reduction Partnerships and councils.
“These results demonstrate that we are determined to target the worst offenders and where clear evidence exists, we will seek to secure convictions.
“So we are pleased that these offenders are now serving custodial sentences. We continue to encourage the public, businesses and staff to report incidents to us online or by calling 101. In an emergency always call 999.”
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