Serial shoplifter from Seaton Delaval ordered to stay away from local Co-op for 18 months

Gary Pickering has been banned from his local supermarket for stealing.

A serial thief has been banned from stepping foot inside his local supermarket due to his prolific offending.

Gary Pickering, 49, has regularly targeted shops in the Northumberland area.

Officers from Northumbria Police arrested him after he stole items including meat and coffee, on 11 different occasions from the Co-op store in Avenue Road, Seaton Delaval, between January 5 and March 1.

Appearing before magistrates in Bedlington, Pickering, of Kearsley Close, Seaton Delaval, pleaded guilty to 11 counts of theft.

Magistrates banned him from entering the Co-op store in Seaton Delaval for 18 months.

He was also ordered to carry out a drug rehabilitation programme, pay £1,387.22 in compensation, made the subject of a 18-month community order, and told to pay court costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £114.

PC Michael Gair, of Northumbria Police, said: “Pickering has been a persistent offender in Northumberland and we are pleased that restrictions have now been placed upon him to curb his offending.

“Shoplifting is increasingly being dealt with by security at the shops themselves, but this shows that we will still take robust action against those who persistently re-offend and show a total disregard to those who live and work in our communities.”