A judge has lamented the “shoplifting pandemic” after jailing a prolific thief for a series of shop thefts in York while she was on a suspended prison sentence for burglary.
Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, condemned Teresa Boyd, 32, for targeting stores already bedevilled by shoplifters while she was on three separate court orders for previous offences.
“It’s a shoplifting pandemic out there,” said Mr Morris. “People almost regard it as a legitimate source of income.”
He said there had to be an “element of deterrence” to protect hard-working shopkeepers from the likes of Boyd, who had been remanded in Low Newton women’s prison since her latest arrest.
In September, Boyd received a 16-month suspended jail sentence for breaking into student digs in Fossway, York, and stealing a laptop.
Only two weeks later, she stole “multiple items” from Farm Foods and a Barnardo’s charity shop in Acomb. She admitted these thefts in early November when York magistrates granted her bail but then missed a series of court dates and a warrant was issued for her arrest.
She finally appeared for sentence via video link today when she admitted further breaches of the suspended sentence by missing probation appointments.
She had already admitted three counts of shoplifting which occurred on three separate days in York. In the first instance, Boyd, a drug addict, stole £200 of Yankee Candles from Tesco at the Acomb Wood shopping centre on 23 September.
Three days later, in another incident captured on CCTV, she stole £80 of goods from the Spar shop on Huntington Road.
On 29 September, a police officer followed her into the Farm Foods store in Acomb where she was caught with two packets of steak after being recognised by staff. It was only later that staff discovered she had already stolen two jars of coffee and a beef joint prior to being questioned.
Boyd, from York but of no fixed address, was subsequently arrested when police found her with “several items of clothing” from Barnardo’s which she stole just after leaving the Farm Foods store.
‘Shopkeepers deserve protection’
Her record, which only began in 2023, included 17 previous “theft and kindred” offences, as well as fraud, battery and failing to surrender. At the time of her latest shoplifting, she was subject to a community order, conditional discharge and suspended sentence for previous acquisitive crime and possessing Class A drugs.
Defence barrister Rhianydd Clement said that after being released from custody following the imposition of the suspended sentence in September, the mother-of-one had “no address and no income”.
“That resulted in her spiralling and returning very quickly back to her drug misuse – heroin, cocaine and Diazepam,” added Ms Clement.
Judge Morris told Boyd: “Your case is a sad one but there comes a time when the courts just run out of patience, because shopkeepers deserve to be protected. They are trying to make a living and it’s a shoplifting pandemic out there.
“And when there is shoplifting on this scale – which is significant, persistent offending – I think there has to be an element of deterrence in order to protect the hard-working people who work long hours to try and make an honest living.”
He said that unless Boyd changed her ways fast, she was at risk of becoming a “sad, withered old person stealing from shops for the rest of your life”.
The judge activated the 16-month suspended sentence and imposed a further three months, consecutive, for the shop thefts.
However, under new sentencing guidelines, Boyd will serve less than half of the total 19-month jail sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence.
After the court case, Chief Inspector Ryan Chapman, North Yorkshire Police’s lead for retail crime said: “Over the past year, North Yorkshire Police has placed a significant focus on addressing retail crime.
“This effort has led to notable increases in both the number of reports and arrests.
“The rise in reporting aligns with a national trend, and we expect this upward trajectory to continue as businesses gain greater confidence in reporting these crimes.”