A man who stole over £3,000 worth of goods in a shoplifting blitz in Craigavon, Lurgan and Portadown has been given a suspended jail term.
Paul Gerard Shields (40), with an address listed as Almond Drive in Dunmurry but who previously told Craigavon Magistrates’ Court he was living in a hostel, committed offences on November 4 last year.
He took £1,300 worth of goods from Lifestyle Sports at Rushmere Shopping Centre; £1,248 worth of goods from O’Neill’s in Craigavon; £455 worth of goods from Sports Direct in Lurgan; and £223 worth of ‘meat joints’ from Lidl in Portadown.
The total amount was £3,326.
The Lifestyle Sports goods had been recovered, a prosecutor said.
The defendant appeared at court on Friday via video link from a solicitor’s office.
The prosecutor said the defendant and another suspect – only Shields was before Friday’s court – were involved in a “targeted shoplifting spree”.
Shields was identified on CCTV and by a witness.
The defendant had a record.
He had received a one year prison term, suspended for two years, at another court on Thursday.
At Craigavon Court on Friday, District Judge Chris Holmes said he was worried about Shields’ “modus operandi” as the defendant had done a “planned raid on various shops” which was something Shields had been “doing for a bit”.
The judge handed down a nine months prison term, suspended for three years.
He said if Shields re-offends the defendant will have the “book thrown” at him.
He ordered the defendant to pay £750 compensation – a “figure you can actually pay” – instead of the full outstanding amount.
