Criminal Behaviour Order handed to prolific shoplifter from Runcorn

A prolific shoplifter from Runcorn has been handed a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO).

Sarah Brown, of Grangeway Court in Grangeway, has been convicted of more than 50 shoplifting offences over the past four years, with the majority of them committed in Runcorn.

The 28-year-old was handed a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, at Crewe Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 15 September for her most recent offences.

She pleaded guilty to nine shoplifting offences committed in Runcorn and Widnes between Saturday 23 May and Tuesday 1 September.

Brown also admitted a public order offence in relation to her behaviour at a shop in Runcorn after being questioned about the contents of her bag by the manager.

She returned to a magistrates’ court, this time in Warrington, for a CBO hearing on Thursday 8 October.

The five-year CBO imposed by the court bans her from:

• Entering any Co-op store in Runcorn
• Concealing any item prior to payment at any retail premises in Cheshire.

Police Constable Andy Maskall, of the Halton Problem Solving Team, said: “CBOs are preventative orders with strict restrictions that are imposed in a bid to stop persistent offenders committing further offences.

“They are applied for separately to prosecutions for criminal offences as a last resort, and I am pleased to say that we have seen a significant reduction of offending in Cheshire from those who are subject to a CBO.

“In the case of Sarah Brown, she is a persistent offender with a long list of shoplifting convictions and has shown no signs of ceasing her criminal behaviour.

“There comes a point when you have to say enough is enough and take additional action to protect stores from being targeted.

“The coronavirus pandemic has had a significant financial impact on businesses and the last thing that retail premises in Halton need is to continue to be targeted by a prolific shoplifter like Brown.

“She has been made aware that it is an offence to breach the terms of a CBO. The sanctions imposed for doing so can be severe, with the maximum penalty being five years in prison.

“I hope that the CBO has the desired effect and prevents Brown from shoplifting or committing any other offence in Halton or anywhere else.”

David Keane, the police and crime commissioner for Cheshire, added: “CBOs are one of many tools Cheshire Constabulary uses in a bid to improve our communities.

“They address persistent criminal behaviour by giving those issued with CBOs strict requirements and prohibitions which they must adhere to.

“I am pleased to hear that CBOs have been having the desired effect of reducing offending, the number of victims of crime and the demand on the police and I hope that this continues.”

Anyone who encounters Brown breaching the terms of her CBO over the next five years is asked to contact Cheshire Constabulary on 101 to report it.