Prison for Rugby shoplifter who threw shopkeeper at a fridge as he stole pop and vape pens

A Rugby man who threw a shopkeeper at a fridge and repeatedly shoplifted vape pens and fizzy pop has been jailed.

Anthony Rea, 31, stole the items from a small shop in Hillmorton during a string of incidents.

During an incident on 1 March Rea pushed the shopkeeper behind the counter while stealing a vape pen and, when the shopkeeper attempted to stop him from leaving, Rea threw him at a fridge.

And when Rea, of Sewall Place, was interviewed by officers he claimed that he often tried to pay for goods but the shopkeeper would not let him.

Rea was subsequently charged with nine counts of shoplifting and one count of assault.

On July 7 magistrates sentenced him to 9.5 months in prison – six weeks for shoplifting and assault and 32 weeks for reoffending while on licence.

T/Sergeant Summers said: “Rea is a prolific shoplifter and the slightly bizarre excuse that he was supposedly not being allowed to pay for goods did not impress us or the courts.

“He believed he was entitled to take fizzy drinks and vapes at will, and appeared quite happy to assault a shopkeeper when his entitlement was questioned.

“There is a belief among some that police will not attend or investigate reports of shoplifting if goods are below a certain value.

“I hope this case goes some way to address that misconception.”

Issued by: AG, Corporate Comms.