Professional thieves jailed after stealing thousands of pounds worth of goods from Ripon shops

Two prolific shoplifters have been jailed after stealing more than £3,000 of goods during a six-month crime spree.
York Crown CourtYork Crown Court
York Crown Court

Former partners Daniel Brooks and Kimberley Newton, from Harrogate, targeted stores in Ripon and York, stealing hundreds of pounds worth of items at a time.

The pair, described as “professional” thieves, broke up around the time of their mammoth thieving spree but carried on stealing, York Crown Court heard.

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Prosecutor Rob Galley said that in one instance, Brooks, 26, stole £750 worth of flat-screen TVs from a supermarket.

In a separate theft, Newton, also 26, stole £649 worth of champagne and spirits, including 10 premium-bottle labels of fizz.

They targeted mainly Sainsbury’s supermarkets in York where they stole expensive electrical goods.

Mr Galley said Newton’s haul was worth over £2,000. By the end of their spree, Brooks had purloined £1,200 of goods.

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The heavily-convicted thieves appeared for sentence on Monday after they admitted a string of thefts.

Brooks, who appeared via video link after being remanded in prison, pleaded guilty to three counts of shoplifting.

Newton, of Tennyson Avenue, Harrogate, admitted three counts of theft, failing to surrender to court custody and breaching a conditional discharge.

Mr Galley said that in December last year, Newton stole £350 of perfume from Browns department store in York five times on the same day.

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At Sainsbury’s in York on October 18, she stole over £1,000 worth of vacuum cleaners and Parka jackets in one fell swoop. She then escaped through a staff-only area and fire exit.

The court heard that Newton had many previous convictions for shoplifting dating back to 2011, including an incident at Morrison’s last year when she was given a two-year conditional discharge at Bradford Crown Court for theft and common assault.

Brooks, of Woodfield Road, had a record dating back 13 years. His rap sheet included numerous shop thefts but also vehicle interference, public disorder, driving offences, handling stolen goods, assault, fraud and burglary.

Mr Galley said that in many of the theft, Brooks had threatened shop staff with violence.

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His defence counsel said the father-of- one used to work as a labourer but his life had been dogged by heroin addiction.

Anthony Moore, for Newton, said the former drug addict, who had been remanded in jail since December after skipping a court appearance, had now kicked her habit but faced losing her home.

Judge Paul Worsley QC told the defendants: “You are professionals, I am a professional. Today you will both receive professional sentences.”

He added: “The courts have tried all manner of sentences, including community orders, suspended sentences and prison sentences, and none have worked. Today, I’m afraid, is the day of reckoning for both of you.”

Brooks was jailed for 27 months and Newton was jailed for 19 months.