Serial Doncaster shop thief who committed 19 thefts in one month is jailed

Jack Allchurch was caught on CCTV for all his crimes as he stole over £2,000 worth of products from two One Stop shops in Balby over a 23-day period.

The 29-year-old stole a vast array of items, including cans of deodorant, jars of coffee, dog treats and chocolate and made no attempt to pay for any of the products he stole.

Thanks to a dedicated retail crime team in place within Doncaster Central Neighbourhood Policing Team and cohesive working with key retailers and partners, a connection was made to all of Allchurch's crimes.

He was identified as a prolific offender by officers within South Yorkshire Police’s own retail crime team and by staff in the stores he stole from, and with the evidence presented against him, he had no choice but to plead guilty to 19 counts of theft.

Allchurch, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to one year in prison at Doncaster Magistrates' Court last Wednesday (18 September).

Doncaster Central NPT Sergeant Steve Roberts said: "Allchurch's offending was prolific and impulsive as he grabbed whatever items he could off the shelves before making a quick exit from the store.

"He had no intention of ever paying for those products and thanks to all the intelligence and evidence gathered against him, we've been able to secure justice with Allchurch given a significant custodial sentence.

"Shoplifters might think they are untouchable but that couldn't be further from the truth.

"We have worked hard in Doncaster to build strong partnerships with businesses and key partner agencies, and our dedicated retail crime team within Central NPT gathers vital intelligence on known shoplifters which in turns ensures that justice prevails.

"We want to encourage the public and businesses to continue helping us tackle retail crime by reporting shoplifting incidents to us as soon as possible. This allows us to quickly identify offenders, spot patterns of behaviour and deliver justice.

“If you have been a victim of shoplifting, please report it to us on 101 or 999 in an emergency. The sooner we know about an incident of shoplifting, the sooner we can act.”