An unrepentant shop thief has talked himself into a harsher sentence, by showing a total disregard for the business he stole from.
James Taylor, 33, of Llewelyn Drive, Bryn-y-Baal, Flintshire, admitted an offence of shop theft when he appeared at Mold Magistrates' Court on Thursday, 18th June 2026.
Theft is an offence under section 1 of the Theft Act 1968. Shop theft of items under the value of £200 is dealt with as a summary offence, with the maximum sentence of 26 weeks' custody and/or an unlimited fine. We have previously written an article on the legalities surrounding theft.
Magistrates heard that Taylor entered Holland & Barrett in Mold on Monday, 5th January 2026.
Once inside his behaviour aroused the suspicion of a member of staff, who approached and asked if he needed any help.
Taylor replied: "She's pissing me off. She keeps phoning me. I've got to go."
Rhian Jackson, prosecuting, said that staff later checked the store's CCTV. The footage revealed that Taylor had squatted down beside a display and concealed a bottle of CBD oil, valued at £68.99, on his person before walking out with it.
CBD oil (aff.) contains some of the same ingredients as cannabis, but is legal to buy and possess as a food supplement.
In interview Taylor said that he needed the CBD to "mimic the calming effect of cannabis".
He added that a large company like Holland & Barrett "could afford to lose the money".
Magistrates, who had been considering a conditional discharge, were unimpressed at that final comment, so decided to impose a fine instead.
Taylor was fined £80.
He was also ordered to pay £68.99 in compensation, £32 surcharge and £85 towards prosecution costs.
No comments:
Post a Comment