Prolific Leeds shoplifter jailed for cheese theft from Burley Road Co-op as judge says: 'Congratulations!'
A judge gave a prolific Leeds shoplifter a dressing down as she was sentenced for stealing cheese from a supermarket.
Angelique Doyle, 45, stole four packets of cheese from the Co-op store on Burley Road within two weeks of being handed a criminal behaviour order that banned her from entering any Co-op stores in West Yorkshire.
Sentencing Doyle at Leeds Crown Court on Wednesday (August 20), His Honour Judge Ray Singh said: “The general public are sick to the back teeth of sentences of this nature.”
For the prosecution, Elizabeth Noble told the court that Doyle, of Lady Beck Close, has 68 previous convictions for 149 offences, with many of them being for thefts.
Doyle stole the cheese from the Co-op store on July 29 this year and was stopped by a member of staff as she left, who called the police. After being arrested she said that she stole the cheese because she was “starving” and was “aware of the criminal behaviour order but forgot”.
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The manager of the store said afterwards that Doyle had caused “staff and him anxiety” by repeatedly targeting it.
Representing Doyle, Anna Chambers highlighted that Doyle had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity to the charges of theft, refusing to provide a sample and breaching a criminal behaviour order.
Ms Chambers said that her client was “desperate” and “starving” at the time of the offence and was “really sorry and remorseful” for her actions. She also said that Doyle was “determined to get clean from drugs”.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Singh quickly rejected this though, saying: “You are not sorry I’m afraid. You have 68 previous convictions that are littered with instances of you going to shops and stealing.
“There have been 149 previous offences and no doubt you have said sorry for those too. You have now exceeded 150. Congratulations!”
He continued: “You commit these offences day in, day out.”
While outlining the case, Judge Singh said: “You said that you were hungry. Well four pieces of cheese wasn’t going to solve that.”
Doyle then interrupted, saying: “I had pasta and bread.”
He sentenced her to eight months in prison, of which she will serve half before being released on license.