Jail time for York shoplifter

A man who stole jars of coffee from a local shop has been sent to jail.

Sean James Beard, 32, from York, took several jars from the Co-op store on Union Terrace on 9 May 2024, hiding them in his top and leaving without paying. He then tried to sell them to customers in a local pub. But he was challenged, and North Yorkshire Police were called.

Officers attended straight away, and a short time later they spotted Beard nearby, and stopped and searched him. After jars of coffee were found on him, he asked officers: "Can you have a word with them and see if they'll let me put them back?". Beard was arrested and taken to custody.

CCTV footage from the shop showed him committing the offence.

In custody, he was further arrested for stealing a bike from outside York Hospital, in an unrelated incident in April 2024, after officers recognised him from other CCTV footage.

At York Magistrates Court on 10 May, he pleaded guilty and was jailed for one week for the shop theft, and eight weeks for the cycle theft. Magistrates said that only a custodial sentence could be justified, due to his previous record of offending. He must pay £650 compensation to the owner of the bike. And previous suspended prison sentences were activated, meaning he will spend months more behind bars.

A spokesperson for North Yokshire Police said: "We understand the significant impact shoplifting has on retailers – both the financial loss, and the effect on staff who are left in fear of crime. That’s why we treat this sort of offending so seriously."