Thief with 200 previous convictions is SPARED jail after latest crime
Lifelong thief with 200 previous convictions over nearly 50 years is SPARED JAIL for his latest offence amid new ‘soft justice’ row
- Lifelong thief was spared jail after committing his 201st crime over five decades
- Records show first conviction was in August 1974, 47 years before latest offence
- The astonishing case has ignited a row over the impact of ‘soft justice’ in the UK
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 image]
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:
- A repeat burglar with 57 previous convictions for the same crime was spared jail by a judge. The burglar’s criminal record stretched back to 1990.
- Two criminals each with 19 earlier convictions for possessing a knife were given non-custodial sentences for committing the same offence a 20th time.
- A violent offender with 23 convictions for assault was spared jail for a 24th offence. That criminal’s offending began in 2001 but despite two dozen assaults, the offender has only ever been sent to jail once.
- A fraudster with 42 convictions in a 23-year period was spared jail for a further fraud and instead given a conditional discharge.
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.’
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