A PROLIFIC Tilbury shoplifter has been banned from Savers and Tesco shops in South Ockendon for two years after an Essex Police town centre team officer mounted an operation to stop him.

Nicky McCarthy, 45, of St Chad's Road, was given a two-year criminal behaviour order by Basildon magistrates and was jailed for a total of 12 weeks.

The court heard how he'd targeted the Savers store in Derwent Parade on nine separate occasions, placing a total of £394.41 of washing detergent in bags before walking out. And he stole a total of £215.60 of chocolate and nourishment drinks on three occasions from Tesco in nearby Derry Avenue.

South Ockendon's police town officer liaised with his local stores and devised a plain-clothes policing operation to catch McCarthy, which produced the desired result.

At previous court hearings, McCarthy had pleaded guilty to 13 shop thefts committed between 23 June 2024 and 23 February 2025, involving a total £785.41 of goods. As well as 12 thefts from Tesco and Savers in South Ockendon, he also stole £175.40 of food from Asda in Dereham Road, Norwich.

He also admitted a racially-aggravated public order offence in Norwich on 23 February, plus driving without insurance, failing to provide a specimen of breath and several other driving matters.

As well as being jailed for a total of 12 weeks – which included eight weeks for the public order offence – and having a criminal behaviour order imposed, McCarthy was also disqualified from driving for 29 months and ordered to pay £100 compensation and £85 court costs.

After the hearing Sgt Sadik Miah, of Thurrock Town Centre Team, said McCarthy had actively tried to evade police.

He said: "Working with both shops, we identified him early on and spotted patterns in his behaviour which enabled the dedicated officer for that town centre to plot the best time to mount the operation.

"This proved fruitful as McCarthy was soon spotted by that officer and arrested. He had persistently targeted the shops but we hope the banning order stops this. If he ignores it, then he faces the prospect of being jailed again.

"We urge all retailers to report shop thefts and related offences to us. That way, we can identify hotspots and patterns and target our operational policing accordingly, as we did in this case.

"Supplying good quality CCTV footage and witness statements also boosts the chances of a successful conviction and offenders are often left with no choice but to plead guilty at court.

"You can let us know by submitting a report on our website where you can use our online Live Chat service available Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) between 10am-9pm.

"Visit https://www.essex.police.uk/digital101to find out more about our website reporting services. Alternatively, you can call us on 101.

"If you would like to make an anonymous report, you can contact independent charity Crimestoppers on Twitter at @CrimestoppersUK, by visiting their website or by calling 0800 555 111."