Woman given criminal behaviour order following theft from shop

A woman has been given a two-year criminal behaviour order (CBO) following theft from a shop in Stoke-on-Trent.

Samantha Oldfield, 44, from the Longton area, was given the order at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on 16th February after pleading guilty to theft from a shop at an earlier hearing.

Oldfield was also given a six-week suspended sentence for 12 months, ordered to pay a surcharge of £154 and attend 20 days of rehabilitation.

The two-year order requires Oldfield to not enter:

Any Wilkinson’s store in Stoke-on-Trent
Any Boots stores in Stoke-on-Trent
Iceland and Primark stores in Hanley
The court heard how Oldfield attempted to leave a store on Charles Street, Hanley, at 10.25am on 17 November 2022 with unpaid goods.

Oldfield was detained and unpaid items, including candle sets and chocolates, were found inside her bag.

Sergeant Chris Gifford, of the Stoke North Local Policing Team, said: “The message to individuals who persistently cause problems in our communities is simple – we will take action.

“Our officers are regularly visiting businesses in Stoke-on-Trent to not only show our presence in the area, but to find out what issues they are experiencing and what we can do to support them.

“If anyone does have any concerns, we urge them to get in touch and we would also ask the public to make us aware if anyone in receipt of an order breaches it.”

Paul Greenhough, Operations Manager at Partnerships Against Business Crime in Staffordshire (PABCIS), said: “PABCIS supports these continued applications for CBO’s against the individuals impacting on our retail outlets and pleased that with our partners a further CBO has been secured.

“Shop theft is often seen as a victimless crime, but it is not. Those who work in our retail outlets should not have to be subjected to the activities of some individuals, and so we are pleased to have secured yet another CBO against one such individual.

“We will continue to support our retailers in any future applications and work with police to provide the evidence to ensure such penalties are imposed.”

To report a crime in your area, message us through our Live Chat on our website.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or call 999 in an emergency.