Business
Man banned from every Greggs in England and Wales
A prolific shoplifter has been banned from every Greggs in England and Wales after being caught stealing from there seven times, police have said.
Patrick Verry, 33, of no fixed address, was caught in the act by plain clothes officers at a Greggs store in Wood Green, north London, on 15 May.
Bodycam footage of the incident shows him taking several items from the fridge in his bag and walking out without paying.
When the officers first approach him, he says “whatever mate”, until they begin to restrain him and place him under arrest.
Realising they are police officers, Verry pleads that he is “not resisting” and says: “I apologise bruv, I’m sorry.”
Verry on police bodycam video stealing from Greggs in Wood Green. Pic: Met Police
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He had been seen stealing from the same Greggs on the shop’s CCTV six times previously.
He pleaded guilty to six counts of theft from the shop at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on 16 May and was banned from all Greggs throughout England and Wales.
Releasing the bodycam video on social media, the Metropolitan Police described the outcome as the “end of his sausage roll era”.
Verry is arrested by plain clothes officers. Pic: Met Police
Another man banned from Sainsbury’s, Boots and Co-op
In a separate probe, they identified another man, Winston Wright, 44, who had stolen more than £2,500 in goods at various shops over four months.
He was spotted in Deptford, southeast London, by a PCSO, who arrested him.
Wright, from Lewisham, pleaded guilty to eight counts of shoplifting and one count of commercial burglary at Croydon Magistrates Court on 6 May.
He was jailed for three months, fined £200, and banned from entering the Royal Borough of Greenwich, as well as every Sainsbury’s, Boots, and Co-op in England and Wales for three years.
Winston Wright caught on CCTV stealing from a Co-op in Greenwich. Pic: Met Police
Chief Inspector Rav Pathania, the Metropolitan Police’s lead for tackling retail crime, said: “The Met is focused on tackling the most prolific shoplifters like Wright and Verry.
“They cause fear to retail workers and their offending has a negative impact on communities.
“We continue to work with local business owners to investigate reports of shoplifting, understand concerns and use different tactics to crackdown, including targeted operations and regular patrols.”