Medway shoplifter jailed after ignoring supermarket ban

A Medway shoplifter who was banned from a local supermarket but stole from the store three times in ten days has been jailed.

Clive Tilley, 43, repeatedly targeted the Co-op in Canterbury Street, Gillingham between Sunday 1 June and Wednesday 11 June 2025.

Investigation

On each occasion Tilley stole meat products before leaving the store with a shopping basket filled to the brim. The value of the goods taken totalled around £240.

A Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) issued in July 2023 forbade Tilley from entering any Co-op in Kent for a period of five years, meaning the recent offences put him in breach of the court order.

Jailed

Tilley, of Chelmar Road, Chatham, was arrested on Saturday 14 June and faced charges related to theft and breaches of his CBO. He pleaded guilty to all charges before magistrates on Tuesday 17 June and was immediately sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment.

PC Jay Prow said: ‘The court order that Tilley was issued is in place to protect businesses and the local community, and this brazen offender thought nothing of ignoring it. He’s shown blatant disregard and now that he’s been given a custodial sentence, I hope the message is clear: we won’t tolerate retail crime, and we’ll continue to bring offenders before the courts to face justice.’