Man who stole £25,000 worth of items from Boots stores across Sussex, Devon & Cornwall and South Wales charged

Sussex Police said Brendan Brain, 38, previously of Milton Road, Southampton, Hampshire, has been remanded in custody to appear before Staines Magistrates’ Court on September 29.

Health and beauty retailer Boots reported 40 new shoplifting offences across 10 areas in England and Wales, worth a total value of £25,000.

Of these, police said 11 thefts had taken place in Sussex – mostly in the west of the county.

The arrest and charge of Brain follows partnership work between Boots, the Business Crime Team in Sussex Police, and police forces across the country.

PC Chris Bishop, who is based in Worthing, liaised with the other police forces involved to gather evidence about the pattern of shoplifting from Boots.

As a result, colleagues from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary arrested Brain on June 5.

Sussex Police said he was then charged with 12 counts of shoplifting and two burglaries covering a period between March 2024 and April 2025 across Sussex, Devon & Cornwall, and South Wales.

Sussex Police continues to work with its partners to combat retail crime by preventing offending and holding perpetrators to account.

PC Bishop said: “This case is a good example of our targeted, partnership-led approach to address retail crime, by focusing on priority offenders.

“We strive to work collaboratively with Boots and other businesses to reduce their losses and bring high harm offenders to justice.”