Police officer caught red handed stealing snacks from Lidl

An off-duty constabulary serviceman was caught connected camera stealing a rucksack of snacks from Lidl.

Christopher Spence, 44, walked astir the supermarket stuffing £30 worthy of nuts, cheese, portion and treats into his container earlier leaving aft paying for conscionable 1 point astatine the self-checkout connected February 12.

Staff recognised him from a erstwhile sojourn to the store connected Clovelly Road, successful Bideford, Devon, successful his relation arsenic a uniformed constabulary officer.

In fact, helium was expected to beryllium cracking down connected shoplifting himself, helium had told them before.

Feleena Grosvenor, prosecuting, told Exeter Crown Court: ‘On the time of this theft helium was owed backmost successful the store successful narration to an battle connected staff, truthful his narration with them was precise overmuch entwined.’

Initially Mr Spence denied the complaint of theft, alternatively claiming helium had near the stolen goods successful a handbasket astatine the store erstwhile helium realised helium didn’t person the close slope card.

But CCTV had caught him successful the enactment and helium aboriginal changed his plea to guilty.

Mr Spence, of Abbotsham, Devon, has present been handed an 18-month assemblage order, requiring him to implicit 150 hours of unpaid work.

He indispensable wage £300 towards prosecution costs wrong 12 months, a unfortunate surcharge and £30 compensation to the store.

The constabulary officer, who has been suspended from work since his arrest, besides faces misconduct proceedings wrong the force.

Judge Stephen Climie said the ‘moment of madness’ would extremity Mr Spence’s constabulary career.

Defending the begetter of three, Warren Robinson said: ‘It’s a calamity of his ain making. He has thrown himself nether the bus.’

After sentencing, Superintendent Toby Davies, Commander successful North and West Devon, said:

‘We are profoundly disappointed by the actions of Chris Spence, peculiarly fixed his neighbourhood relation wrong the community.

‘First and foremost, I privation to guarantee our assemblage that the enactment of 1 idiosyncratic does not bespeak the values oregon integrity of our section officers.

‘We are committed to maintaining the highest levels of spot and assurance successful the assemblage we serve, and I would similar to guarantee the nationalist that specified incidents are rare.

‘This behaviour undermines each those officers who behave to the highest standards time in, time out, keeping our country safe.

‘As we determination forwards, we volition proceed to beryllium unfastened and transparent, and clasp ourselves accountable, and we volition enactment hard to guarantee that the actions of 1 idiosyncratic does not undermine the assurance and spot we person worked truthful hard to build.’

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