A man who stole 325 Cadbury Creme Eggs from a petrol station has been banned from Cambridgeshire for three months.
Deon De Groot, 26, was spotted when he stuffed £220.50 worth of the eggs into a duffel bag at a Tesco Express in Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, and left without paying on Saturday.
A member of staff flagged down officers in a passing police car, who followed De Groot.
Police found he had a significant amount of the stolen goods concealed within his jacket but had dropped the duffel bag nearby – which was also full of boxes of Creme Eggs.
De Groot, of no fixed address, appeared at Peterborough magistrates court on Tuesday, where he was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for a year.
He was also banned from entering Cambridgeshire for the next three months after admitting theft from a shop.
PC Guy Cunningham, who made the arrest, said: “Thanks to the quick reaction by staff who flagged us down, we were able to catch De Groot red-handed and return the stolen items to the store.”
Cambridgeshire police released bodycam footage showing officers noticing a suspicious bulge under his jacket prior to his arrest.
Cunningham can be heard saying: “Hey, hey, hey, hey. Hands out. Hang on a sec. I’m going to put handcuffs on you, all right. You’re under arrest on suspicion of theft from a shop, all right. Because, I mean, Christ, what have you got in there?”
De Groot replies “Creme Eggs” and the officer begins unzipping the shoplifter’s jacket. De Groot offers no resistance apart from saying “It’s all gonna fall out.”
The officer pulls the boxes from his coat, telling the thief: “Christ, you’ve really loaded this up.”
Being banned from an area is a punishment typically handed down to prolific offenders under criminal behaviour orders (CBOs), which replaced asbos.
CBOs are imposed by a court and can restrict where an offender goes, who they associate with, and what activities they are allowed to take part in. Breaching the order is a criminal offence, which can lead to a prison sentence.
Earlier this month, a thief who stole £120 worth of Easter eggs was jailed and banned from Co-op stores across Nottinghamshire.
Adam Hadfield, 38, was handed a CBO that also bans him from shops and supermarkets in Clifton and West Bridgford for two years.
He was jailed at Nottingham magistrates court for 36 weeks and ordered to pay £220 in compensation.
