Prolific Newark shoplifter jailed after appearance at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court, despite pretending to sleep to avoid questioning from police

A prolific thief who pretended to fall asleep when police tried to question him about a shoplifting spree has been jailed.

Karl Allsopp, 36, of no fixed address, refused to leave his cell bed, declined interviews, pulled a blanket over his head and pretended to go to sleep, after he had been brought into custody.

Despite this, enough evidence had been gathered by officers to ensure the shoplifter could be charged, and subsequently jailed for a year.

Officers had connected him to 16 thefts across Newark, including 12 incidents at Sainsbury’s during November alone.

PC Kieran Shephard, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Thanks to the officers doing such a good job in gathering the evidence needed to prove Allsopp’s actions, he was left with no choice but to plead guilty when he appeared in court.

“That’s despite him refusing to answer any of our questions when he was initially arrested, with Allsopp completely ignoring our officers and even pretending to be asleep in custody.

“This tactic clearly didn’t prove to be an effective one for him though, as shown by the strong custodial sentence handed out by the court.

“Shop staff shouldn’t have to worry about people like Allsopp taking items without paying for them, while these thefts are also unfair on all those people who spend their hard-earned money on their shopping.

“We hope this sentence sends a strong message out that persistent shoplifting is a serious offence that can lead to a substantial spell behind bars.”

Allsopp got a rude awakening when he was tracked down and detained by the Newark neighbourhood policing team on November 21.

On this occasion officers found him snoozing underneath some blankets on a sofa, with Allsopp waking to the news that he was under arrest, having been linked to a string of different shop thefts across four Newark stores, between August 11 and November 16.

Allsopp helped himself to bottles of alcohol or meat products from Sainsbury’s each time, and stole chocolates, sports supplements, as well as more meat and alcohol during four other thefts.

Despite refusing to cooperate with police, officers had gathered the evidence needed to ensure he was charged and put before the courts.

The prolific offender subsequently pleaded guilty to the 16 shop thefts at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on November 22, and his sentence was handed out at the same appearance.