Prolific Shoplifter Jailed After Breaking Suspended Sentence

A prolific shoplifter has been jailed after committing a series of new thefts just days after receiving a suspended prison sentence.

Max Huggett, 35, admitted 14 shoplifting offences and 17 breaches of a Criminal Behaviour Order after targeting the Co-op in Langley Parade and the Asda store on Balcombe Road in Crawley during June.

At Crawley Magistrates' Court, Huggett, of Ockley Road, Bognor, was sentenced to nine months in prison after breaching a suspended sentence imposed earlier that month.

Sussex Police said Huggett has 19 previous convictions for 133 offences, 99 of them theft-related.

Officers said he was identified through Operation Apprentice, which targets prolific offenders, and welcomed the custodial sentence, describing shoplifting as a crime that has a significant impact on retailers, staff and local communities.