Man jailed after handbag stolen

An aggressive shoplifter who took goods from a store in Stoke-on-Trent has been jailed.

Michael James Bradley, 38, of no fixed address, was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison at the North Staffordshire Justice Centre on Wednesday (24 September) after he pleaded guilty to theft from a shop and harassment – breach of a restraining order.

On Wednesday 10 September, Bradley stole a handbag worth £30 from a supermarket on London Road, Stoke.

On Saturday (20 September), Bradley entered another store on the same road and was verbally aggressive towards a shopkeeper who has a protection order against him.

PC Jonathan Martin, of the City Intervention Team, said: “I hope this sentence shows that we will act robustly against those who cause harm in our communities, whether that is to people or to businesses.”

We have been able to reduce shoplifting incidents by introducing hotspot policing patrols across Staffordshire, which is designed to reduce crime and improve safety in areas with high crime/anti-social behaviour rates.

We're continuing to act proactively across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire to drive reductions in crime and to target those committing high harm offences in local communities.