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Two prolific shoplifters who "terrorised Rotherham businesses" have been handed prison sentences. Liam Walsh stole over £1,000 worth of items over a two and a half month period.
This included meat, cleaning products and confectionary from supermarkets and shops in Rotherham. His offending was brought to an end after being spotted shoplifting by a South Yorkshire
Police off duty officer who detained the 25-year-old. Walsh was subsequently charged with 15 counts of theft from a shop. He was also charged with four counts of breaching a Criminal
Behaviour Order (CBO) which had prohibited him from entering a number of named supermarkets in the local area. After entering a guilty plea, Walsh, of Teesdale Road, Wingfield, was jailed
for a total of 68 weeks - 32 weeks for the CBO breach and 32 weeks for the theft offences. Also found to be actively breaching the terms of his CBO was Thomas Buckley. Similar to Walsh,
Buckley was prohibited from entering a number of shops in Rotherham. Despite this, the 34-year-old visited a number of the named businesses as part of a nine-day shoplifting spree in which
he stole coffee and several hundred pounds worth of laundry detergent. Buckley, of Winterwell Road, West Melton, pleaded guilty to eight counts of breaching a CBO and eight charges of theft
from a shop. At Sheffield Magistrates' Court on 23 May, Buckley was jailed for 64 weeks - 52 weeks for the CBO breach and 12 weeks for the theft. Chief Inspector for neighbourhoods in
Rotherham, Kevin Bradley said: "CBOs allow us to enforce more effectively against offenders who consistently engage in repeated criminal activity and anti-social behaviour. "Walsh
and Buckley are examples of how ignoring and purposefully breaching these orders can result in jail time. Upon their release from prison, both will be regularly monitored to ensure they are
abiding by the terms of their CBO. Results like these reaffirm our commitment to residents and visitors to Rotherham that we are tackling retail crime. It has no place in our town and we
will act against those who commit theft." _GET ALL THE LATEST AND BREAKING SOUTH YORKSHIRE NEWS STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX BY_ _ SIGNING UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER HERE. _