A PERSISTENT shoplifter and drug user has blamed a lack of support for his return to crime.
Samuel Crawley appeared at Redditch Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (February 3) where he admitted two thefts and two attempted thefts from shops on Trafford Retail Park.
The 28-year-old had been banned from the shopping area for five years under the terms of a CRASBO imposed on him in January last year.
Crawley told police he had stolen to fund his drug addiction and in court, defence solicitor Sumreen Afsar said the Berkesewell Close resident had tried to get clean when given previous drug rehabilitation orders but felt like he was ‘back to square one again’ each time they ended.
Mrs Afsar also highlighted issues Crawley had with the integrated offender management team which left him feeling unsupported.
“Each time within a few weeks of meeting them they moved on so he has never been able to establish a relationship.” she
said.
Crawley had also been going to a farm in Herefordshire as part of his rehabilitation which he ‘enjoyed’ as it filled up his time, he told probation services.
But his order stopped at the start of January this year and he admitted he was taking heroin at the time of committing his latest crimes.
On January 23 this year he took a mobile phone costing £39.99 from Aldi and attempted to take whisky costing £20 from the same store two days later. That time he was stopped by staff and returned the items to them.
Also on January 25 he took £50 of meat from Iceland and three days after that he tried to take £26 worth of meat.
As all four offences took place on the Trafford Retail Park he also admitted breaching his CRASBO which also bans him from entering the Kingfisher Shopping Centre and from taking drugs in any public place.
Crawley was sentenced to a 12-month community order with a supervision requirement for the same length of time and a drug rehabilitation order for nine months.
He was also ordered to undertake 25 sessions at Willowdene Care Farm in Shropshire, which is similar to his previous placement in Herefordshire.
A total of £234.99 – including £89.99 compensation, £85 costs and a £55 victim surcharge – will be subtracted from his benefits.
