WATCH: Man put behind bars after stealing 144 chocolate bars from Worthing shop

Jordan Thomson, 30, of no fixed address is caught on CCTV stealing chocolate bars

Thirty-year-old Jordan Thomson was caught on camera stealing 48 Twix bars, 48 Snickers bars, 24 Bounty bars and 24 Yorkie bars from Co-Op in New Broadway, Worthing, on 30 April – not long after he was released from prison for similar offences, police have said.

Thompson was also caught stealing ten jars of coffee, five packets of washing detergent, two bottles of vodka and a large quantity of meat from various stores in Worthing in the weeks that followed.

As a persistent offender, staff were quickly able to identify Thomson and alert police, providing a number of CCTV clips as evidence.

The other stores included Co-Op in South Street, Worthing; Savers in Montague Street, Worthing; Tesco in Dominion Road, Worthing; and Co-Op in Ham Road, Shoreham.

Thomson, of no fixed address, was arrested and charged with six counts of theft relating to a total of £357.40 worth of goods.

According to police, he pleaded guilty to all offences and was jailed for a total of 22 weeks at Crawley Magistrates’ Court on 22 May. He was also ordered to pay £239 in costs.

Police Sergeant Sam Milsom, of the Response Investigations Team, said: “A number of our officers worked with great efficiency – assisted by our Business Crime Team – to present a case to the Crown Prosecution Service in a timely manner. This meant we were able to secure charges against a prolific offender and prevent further loss to businesses in Adur and Worthing.

“I hope Thomson learns from his previous mistakes and gets the support he needs to put a stop to his criminality, which causes so much harm to the business community.”