A PROLIFIC thief who admitted assaulting two staff members who attempted to stop him stealing from shops in Grays has been punished with a community order.

A sentence hearing at Southend Magistrates court yesterday (Friday, 1 August), which was detailed in a personal post by Nub News editor Neil Speight, ended with Lee Britchford receiving a community order for 50 hours of community service to be completed by 31st July 2026. 

Additionally Britchford, 46, who lives in a house of multiple occupancy on Clarence Road, Grays, is to attend non-residential drug rehabilitation. He is currently receiving support from the Forward Trust.

He was also ordered to pay compensation to Farmfoods in Grays Shopping Centre, one of several shops across the town he stole from. Others included Morrisons in the town centre and Tesco on Crammavill Street. As they were unable to determine how much he stole, they received no compensation.

An application by the Crown Prosecution for him to pay compensation to the store staff he attacked was rejected by magistrates.

Britchford also stole a patio table and chairs set from the RAF Association in Grays, but the CPS offered no request for compensation, even though Britchford had profited by selling the items on.

In mitigation, defence counsel, Mr Collins, said Britchford - who had eight previous convictions for multiple thefts - had been out of trouble for some time, but relapsed into criminal activity due to the influence of residents at a House of Multiple Occupancy on Southend Road in Grays.

Britchford, who confessed to being a heroin user, drug addict and alcoholic in the past, has since changed his residence and was reported by the Probation Service to have made progress thanks to Forward Trust.