A PROLIFIC thief who stole to support his drug habit has been jailed.

Callum Watt, 21, of Godman Road, Chadwell St Mary, has also been banned from a Lakeside store where he carried out a number of thefts and from riding a bike or having one with him in the regional shopping centre, surrounding car parks and leisure facilities.

Watt appeared before Colchester magistrates where he admitted six thefts from shops between 15 September 2022 and 23 February 2023, four of them from the House of Fraser store and two from the BP service station on the westbound A13 near Orsett. He also admitted one charge of fraud by false representation.

The court heard that Watt had stolen numerous designer jackets and T-shirts from House of Fraser. He would leave his bicycle near the store entrance, grab designer clothes from a rail and then cycle away.

On 19 February he stole various items from a Mercedes A180, including a bank card which he then used at BP Orsett South.

Four days later, at around 5.35am, he stole four cans of lager from BP Orsett South and went back that afternoon to do exactly the same. Officers arrested him in Romford later that evening.

Magistrates were told Watt was stealing to fund his drug habit and had been convicted three times in the past six months for shoplifting.

PC Glen Foote, of the Essex Police Business Crime Team, worked with Lakeside Community Policing Team to secure this latest conviction.

After the hearing he said: "Watt being issued with a criminal behaviour order is great news for the staff and customers at Lakeside,

"Criminal behaviour orders are designed to tackle serious and persistent anti-social offenders and there are serious penalties for breaching them. 

"We won't hesitate to seek such orders to protect businesses, their staff and their customers from repeat offenders.

"And, as with this case, where Watt has been banned from riding or being with a bike in and around Lakeside shopping centre, we can ask the court to tailor the CBO's prohibitions according to a criminal's offending behaviour."

Watt was jailed for a total of 14 weeks and ordered to pay a £154 victim surcharge and the criminal behaviour order will last for two years.