Lifelong thief with 200 previous convictions over nearly 50 years is SPARED JAIL for his latest offence amid new 'soft justice' row
A lifelong thief with 200 previous convictions racked up over nearly 50 years was spared jail for a 201st offence, in a case that has ignited a new ‘soft justice’ row.
The offender is thought to be one of Britain’s most prolific, and persistent, thieves.
Records show the individual’s first conviction for theft was in August 1974 – 47 years ago.
Since then, the person has been convicted of theft on average once every three months.
A lifelong thief with 200 previous convictions racked up over nearly 50 years was spared jail for a 201st offence, in a case that has ignited a new ‘soft justice’ row. Stock
In June 2019, the offender was convicted for their 201st offence of theft, but sentenced to only a fine.
Details of the serial thief have been revealed in Ministry of Justice records of the offenders with the highest number of previous convictions who were spared jail for further such crimes.
In other cases of repeat offenders avoiding custodial sentences despite reoffending yet again:
The MoJ records, for 2019, do not give any details of the offenders’ identity, sex or location.
The revelation that serial reoffenders are avoiding jail terms risks undermining Boris Johnson’s efforts to re-establish the Conservatives’ reputation for being tough on crime.
Last month, the Prime Minister released a Beating Crime Plan that pledged ‘more prison places to keep criminals off our streets’. Pictured: Boris Johnson visits Surrey Police HQ in Guildford
Last month, the Prime Minister released a Beating Crime Plan that pledged ‘more prison places to keep criminals off our streets’.
The cases were revealed following parliamentary questions by Philip Davies, a Tory MP and longstanding campaigner for tougher justice policies.
He made his requests for information from the MoJ last September, but the department took almost a year to answer.
In a letter of apology, Chris Philp, a justice Minister, blamed the pandemic for the delay.
Last night, an MoJ spokesman said: ‘Sentencing is a matter for independent judges, but we are making tough new measures available to ensure offenders pay for their crimes both inside and outside of prison.’