Charity box thief handed Criminal Behaviour Order

Andrew Curbishley appeared at Crewe Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 17 December where he was handed a two-year Criminal Behaviour Order.

The order comes after Curbishley, of no fixed address, but of Macclesfield, had previously pleaded guilty to both theft and burglary offences.

Under the order, Curbishley is banned from entering Macclesfield town centre.

During his hearing, the court was told that Curbishley targeted two premises across Macclesfield town centre over a number of weeks.

The first incident occurred on Sunday 9 November 2025, when Curbishley entered a pub in Chestergate, Macclesfield, and approached the bar area.

Sitting on the bar was a British Legion Poppy Appeal charity box, and the 46-year-old proceeded to take it and, concealing it in his coat, swiftly left the premises.

After it was noticed the box had been stolen, staff called Cheshire Police, with an attending local officer identifying Curbishley from CCTV footage that had captured the incident. Following a number of enquiries, Curbishley was promptly located and arrested.

Then, a few weeks later, on Wednesday 26 November 2025, officers received a call from a stall owner at the Grosvenor Centre, with the caller stating that £400 had been taken from her till.

A man had been witnessed on CCTV entering the covered market stall and was then seen filling his pockets with the till money.

A short while later, officers on foot patrol in the area were approached by the stall owner and a security guard regarding the incident, with the security guard telling police that he had just seen the same man from the footage walking on to Chestergate.

The man was identified as Andrew Curbishley.

The officers then swiftly made their way to Chestergate and successfully located and arrested Curbishley on suspicion of burglary and retrieved the stolen money.

Police Sergeant Matthew Bassirat, of Macclesfield Neighbourhood team, said:

“Curbishley’s actions were utterly deplorable. Not only was he content with depriving a local business owner of a substantial amount of money, but he actively chose to steal from a charity that directly supports veterans and the preservation of the memory of those who served to protect our freedom on Remembrance Weekend.

“I would like to thank the officers involved in responding to both incidents; their swiftness in apprehending Curbishley led to him being handed this two-year Criminal Behaviour Order, which will go a considerable way in preventing any further offending of a similar nature.

“We take all reports of theft seriously, so I would urge anyone who has been a victim of theft or any crimes against individuals or businesses to contact their local officers and let us do the rest.”