Ipswich man given Criminal Behaviour Order and suspended sentenced for thefts

Ipswich man given Criminal Behaviour Order and suspended sentenced for thefts

A man has been banned from a number of shops in Ipswich as part of a Criminal Behaviour Order after being convicted of 14 incidents of theft from shop.

Fred Armitage, 42, of no-fixed-abode but of the Ipswich area, was sentenced at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court on Monday 5 October after pleading guilty to the offences.

The incidents took place between July and September this year, with chocolate worth more than £300 stolen from one business on 23 August.

Armitage was sentenced to 17 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for two years. As part of the CBO, Armitage was banned from entering six East of England Co-op stores in the Ipswich area.

Armitage chose to work with the Operation Converter team where he admitted a further 21 offences which were taken into consideration by the court.

Operation Converter is an initiative aimed at encouraging offenders to admit their crimes. This has benefits for all – police are able to give victims some peace of mind that an offender has been caught for the burglary of their home or the theft of their property and the individual has the opportunity to clear their slate, so they can have a fresh start when they are released from prison, without the possibility they will later be traced for a further offence. Offenders have to give sufficient detail for officers to be sure they have committed the crime and these offences are then ‘taken into consideration’ at sentencing.