One of Lincoln’s ‘most prolific shoplifters’ now behind bars

Update 2.46pm, 28 July:

One of Lincoln’s most prolific shoplifters has been given a custodial sentence for committing a further 23 offences after being granted a suspended sentence for the same offences just nine days earlier.

Nathan Lewis, 21, of Goldsmith Walk, Lincoln, was arrested and charged yesterday (27 July) for 11 shop thefts and 12 breaches of a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) which banned him from entering any of the stores he stole from.

He had previously been charged with 16 thefts over the course of a month, as well as one charge of assault which he was given a two year CBO for on 7 July. Last week he was charged with a further four thefts and three breaches of that CBO, and was sentenced to 12 weeks, suspended for six months at a hearing at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on 19 July.

The thefts included items such as food items, cleaning products, toys and alcohol adding up to at least £750, and took place at more than six stores in the city.

As a result of the latest charges, his suspended sentence has been invoked at a hearing at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court today, and he has been given a further 12 weeks on top of that. He will begin his 24 week custodial sentence immediately.

Another prolific offender, Nyree Bonner, 48, of Ashcroft Road, Gainsborough, appeared at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court yesterday (27 July) and her case has been adjourned until 4 August for pre-sentence reports.

Original release, 3.27pm 25 July:

The nine most prolific shop thieves in Lincoln and Gainsborough responsible for almost £9K of stolen goods since March have been convicted thanks to proactive work by Lincolnshire Police.

The individuals carried out thefts across a range of shops throughout the city, with goods ranging from cleaning products and toys to alcohol, chocolate and general groceries.

The thefts took place between March and July in all cases, officers were able to build an intelligence picture on each person responsible which enabled the prosecutions.

We are now investigating where and who the goods have been sold on to, and whether there is an individual or groups handling the stolen goods once they are taken.

Lincoln Neighbourhood Policing Team Inspector Ian Richardson said: “Shop thefts have a significant impact on the staff and local community, and they deserved our attention; I am really pleased to say that these results mean we can provide the stores being targeted, and their employees, with some respite from constant battle of dealing with shop theft.

“It can be incredibly intimidating in many circumstances, as well as have a financial impact on the staff in those stores. The motivations of those committing these offences are purely to satisfy their own needs without thought to the people who would be affected.

“Being able to have a positive impact on crime for a victim is why I joined policing in the first place. We’re not stopping here.

“We will continue to monitor shop thefts and take action on those responsible, and we are now investigating where these good have been sold.

“The volume taken means it’s highly implausible that the items were kept for personal use, and we know that some goods have already been sold via Facebook Marketplace. We would urge people to consider whether they believe a product is legitimate before they make a purchase via social media.”

Here are the people responsible:

1. Matthew Taylor, 32, of Goldsmith Walk, Lincoln was found to be responsible for the theft of £1,080 of goods from shops across the city. The stolen goods taken ranged from groceries to cleaning products and alcohol, and he had targeted six stores during his thefts. On 4 July he was charged with a one count of theft and assault, and remanded for court. A 12 week suspended sentence which had been given for seven charges of theft on 28 June was then invoked, and he is now in prison. Prior to that on 30 May, he had been served with several fines and given a drug rehabilitation order. He was also convicted at his most recent hearing for assault on a shop worker at Waitrose.
2. Josie Mchale, 27, of Welton Gardens, Lincoln, was given a custodial sentence of 12 weeks on 8 July after being convicted for 15 thefts, a charge of assault, and a charge for breaching bail. She was responsible for taking around £1,700 of goods from the Co-op shops and was arrested by officers after it was identified she was selling goods on Facebook Marketplace. Items included food, toiletries, candles and bedding.
3. Her brother William Maher, 37, of Welton Gardens, was also in court that same day, and was ordered to work with We Are With You, given a Community Order, 10 days rehabilitation activity, and fined £314 in compensation. He was convicted after admitting multiple thefts and a breach of bail. His arrest came following intelligence work which determined he worked in conjunction with his sister, and was responsible for shop thefts totaling almost £750 in the local area.
4. Asha Hubbard, 29, of St Rumbold Street, Lincoln was responsible for at least £2,085 worth of goods stolen from multiple retail outlets around the city between June and July. She was charged for six counts of theft, and one count of possessing a controlled drug of class A. She was ordered to work with the drug rehabilitation charity, We Are With You, and given 22 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. The suspended sentence was then imposed following an arrest on 11 July which saw her charged with seven further thefts. She now has a total custodial sentence of 26 weeks.
5. Charlie Carter, 24, of St Rumbold Street, was responsible for taking more than £1,000 of goods. He has been sentenced to 16 weeks in prison at a hearing on 15 July. The items were stolen from Tesco during July and included alcohol.
6. Daniel Elding, 37, of Laurel Close, Lincoln, was given an 18 month sentence, suspended for 20 weeks on 15 July after being charged with two thefts. His thefts included a range of food and alcohol from the Forum at North Hykeham.
7. Matthew Storr, 41, of St Rumbold Street, Lincoln, was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison on 28 June following three charges of theft and four breaches of a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO). He stole meat from Iceland and Tesco stores.
8. Nathan Lewis, 21, of Goldsmith Walk, Lincoln has been charged with 16 thefts over the course of a month, as well as one charge of assault which he was given a two year CBO for on 7 July. Last week he has been charged with a further four thefts and three breaches of the CBO, and was sentenced to 12 weeks, suspended for six months at a hearing at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on 19 July. The thefts included items such as food items, cleaning products, toys and alcohol adding up to at least £750, and took place at more than six stores in the city.
9. Nyree Bonner, 48, of Ashcroft Road, Gainsborough was charged with six counts of theft for goods including cleaning products, clothing, plants and toys totaling around to £500. The thefts took place at shops in Gainsborough in June. She also pleaded guilty to two charges of attempted theft and two assaults. She has been released on bail to appear at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on 27 July for sentencing.

We have also charged Paul Bedford, 42, of Laurel Close, Lincoln with six counts of theft following incidents reported at four different Co-op shops and two Sainsbury’s stores between March and July. It was reported that general grocery items such as chocolate were stolen, with goods totaling around £700. He was charged on 18 July and bailed to appear at Lincoln Magistrates on 18 August.

The positive outcome is a result of proactive policing from the Lincoln Neighbourhood Policing Team, officers and staff working on community intelligence, and partnership work with CCTV team at the City of Lincoln Council, local drug charities, and probation services.