Shoplifter Raymond Canham, of Willow Fall, Newark, jailed at Nottingham Crown Court

A Newark man who stole items from eight stores across the town in just over three weeks has been jailed.

Raymond Canham, 52, pocketed over £1,000 worth of items between April 15 and June 8.

Stock was stolen from some of the stores multiple times by the shoplifter – who racked up 16 separate thefts in total — and Canham also assaulted three members of staff who challenged him.

After reviewing in-store CCTV, the Newark neighbourhood policing team were able to link Canham to the spree and arrested him on June 15.

The 52-year-old pleaded guilty to the 16 shop thefts and three counts of assault at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on 17 June.

Canham, of Willow Fall, appeared at Nottingham Crown Court today (Monday), where he was sentenced to 16 months behind bars.

Sgt Rishi Thobhani, of Nottinghamshire Police, said that Canham was a “repeat offender who has sadly not learned his lesson”:

“Raymond Canham has brought nothing but trouble to Newark town centre with his stealing antics.

“Having been sentenced for other shoplifting offences in the past, to commit a further 16 shop thefts on top of what he’d done before is simply not acceptable,” he said.

“The same goes for the violence he demonstrated during one of those incidents when he assaulted shop staff.

“This type of behaviour will never be tolerated by Nottinghamshire Police.

“It’s fundamentally unfair to the law-abiding members of the community who follow the rules and stay out of trouble.

“We’re pleased to see Canham has now been sentenced for his crimes and won’t be back on the streets of Newark anytime soon.”