EditorLLANELLI: Habitual shoplifter jailed after six M&S raids in a month – as Trostre retail crime problem laid bare
A habitual shoplifter from Llanelli has been jailed for 10 weeks after carrying out six offences at a Marks and Spencer store within the space of a single month, in a case that Dyfed Powys Police say demonstrates that repeat offenders can face a custodial sentence.
Bradley Pugh, aged 18, targeted the M&S store at Trostre Retail Park in Llanelli on multiple occasions before shop staff recognised him and alerted police. He was arrested on 22 April after being spotted by staff, with his identity confirmed by officers reviewing CCTV footage.
Pugh was charged and remanded in custody on the same day as his arrest. He appeared before Llanelli Magistrates’ Court the following morning, on 23 April, where he admitted all six offences. He was jailed and ordered to pay back a compensation fee of £795.25.
Sergeant Tom Grace, of the Llanelli Neighbourhood Team, praised both his officers and M&S staff for their role in bringing the case to a swift conclusion. He said: “The public can feel rightly frustrated with shoplifting incidents. Pugh’s sentence shows that repeated offences can meet a threshold for a jail term.”
He added: “I would like to pay tribute to our team here in Llanelli, who worked hard to track down and arrest Pugh, before a swift but thorough investigation ensured he was quickly brought before a court. I’d also like to thank the members of staff at Marks and Spencer — they’ve been instrumental in working with us to bolster the store’s defences against retail crime.”
The jailing comes against a backdrop of persistent retail crime problems at Trostre. Earlier this year, police were granted special dispersal powers at Parc Trostre and Parc Pemberton after a surge in antisocial behaviour around major stores and fast-food outlets including Tesco, Morrisons and McDonald’s. Shoppers at the time described frightening scenes, with groups causing disruption inside stores and abuse being hurled at security staff.
A spokesperson said at the time: “We will not tolerate behaviour that impacts businesses, staff or members of the public.”
The issue of abuse directed at retail workers across Llanelli has also been the subject of a major campaign. A Usdaw survey found that 71% of retail staff had experienced verbal abuse in the past year, 48% had been threatened, and 9% had been assaulted — with the Freedom from Fear campaign bringing politicians including Dame Nia Griffith MP and Lee Waters MS to Tesco Trostre to highlight the problem.
Dame Nia Griffith has pointed to the Labour government’s Crime and Policing Bill, which removes the £200 threshold for prosecuting shoplifting and introduces a new standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker. The Bill also gives courts new powers to ban repeat offenders from stores.
The wider context for retail crime in Llanelli is one of deep-rooted deprivation. The Tyisha area — which borders Trostre — was identified as the sixth most deprived neighbourhood in Wales for community safety, and the town has been earmarked for a £20m decade-long regeneration drive targeting crime, empty units and a lack of community facilities.
Anyone who has witnessed or become aware of shoplifting offences is asked to report it to Dyfed Powys Police by calling 101 or reporting online. In an emergency, always call 999.
Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111.
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