A shoplifter has been returned to prison after committing nine further offences

A prolific thief is back in prison after defying a court order banning him from his local supermarket.

Nathan Smith, 29, was given a criminal order in January last year banning him from three supermarkets in Mansfield after repeated thefts.

Smith, who has a number of previous convictions for shoplifting offences, pleaded guilty to nine charges of theft and breaching a criminal conduct order.

He appeared at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court on Thursday and was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison.

Members of Mansfield’s neighborhood policing team are currently focusing on the relatively small number of successful criminals responsible for a disproportionate number of shopliftings in the town.

Where possible, officers ask courts to issue criminal behavior orders, which can restrict the movement and behavior of criminals – banning them from certain places and taking certain actions.

Inspector Kylie Davies, District Commander for Mansfield, said:

“Shoplifting is a blight on local businesses and store staff and remains a key local priority for my officers.

“Criminal behavior orders are an extremely effective way of holding people like Smith to account and we are always working to secure more of them.

“As he has just learned, the courts take a very dim view of people who ignore them and will most likely send them straight to prison.”