Nicola Connolly sentenced to eight weeks in prison for theft from shops

Nicola Connolly, 42 of no fixed abode, has been sentenced to eight weeks in prison after stealing from three shops in Bedworth town centre.

Connolly is also required to pay a victim’s surcharge of £154.

On 21 March at 2:30pm, Connolly was seen on CCTV at a shop on Mill Street putting around £54 worth of chocolate bars into a bag and exiting the store without attempting to pay.

The footage was passed on to police by the Nuneaton & Bedworth Council CCTV operators.

At 5pm, Connolly was seen again on CCTV at a shop on Leicester Street.

A PCSO from the Bedworth Safer Neighbourhood Team attended and detained Connolly. A bag was discovered in her possession filled with stolen items from the Mill Street store, as well as from a shop on Congreve Walk (£131 worth of clothing) and a third store on Newtown Road (£11.19 worth of hygiene and cleaning products).

Connolly was subsequently arrested and charged with three counts of theft from a shop.

Sgt Spellman said “Only prolific shoplifters receive prison sentences, and Connolly very much fits that bill.

“She has reached a point where shopworkers and CCTV operators recognise her on sight, and previous attempts to encourage her to stop stealing from shops have not been successful.

“We’re hoping that eight weeks serves as an adequate length of time for her to realise that she’s on the wrong path, and to consider seeking support on her release.”