Portsmouth man sentenced to 19 months in prison following robbery and shoplifting offences

A 37-year-old man has been sentenced to 19 months in prison for a robbery and a string of shoplifting offences in Portsmouth, as well as breaching a suspended sentence order.

Johnny Kerridge of Kingston Crescent, Portsmouth, received the sentence at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday 4 December.

The sentence relates to the following offences:

• On Saturday 16 November 2019, shortly before 6pm, cigarettes worth around £70 were stolen from the Waitrose store on Marmion Road.

• On Saturday 16 November 2019 at 10.15pm, Kerridge grappled with a member of staff at the Co-Op store on Great Southsea Street in order to then take cash from the till. No-one was injured.

• On Friday 14 August at 8.20pm, £176 worth of tobacco was stolen from the One Stop store on Chichester Road.

• On Saturday 22 August, around £120 worth of tobacco and chocolate was stolen from the Sainsburys Local store on Albert Road on three separate occasions.

• On Sunday 23 August at 6.55pm, meat and cheese products worth around £40 were taken from the Co-Op store on Fawcett Road.

• On Monday 24 August at 7.45pm, £40 worth of confectionary was stolen from the Co-Op store on Elm Grove.

• On Tuesday 25 August at 6.25pm, £60 worth of confectionary was taken from The Co-Op store on Fawcett Road.

• On Thursday 27 August at 7.10pm, around £280 worth of products including meat, fish, cheese and chocolate were stolen from the Co-Op store on Copnor Road.

• On Thursday 3 September at 2.10pm, meat products worth around £130 were stolen from The Co-Op store on Francis Avenue.

• On Saturday 5 September 2020 at 9.30am, £110 worth of meat and various other products were taken from the Co-Op store on Elm Grove.

• On Saturday 5 September at 2.55pm, around £200 worth of meat and chocolate was taken from the Co-Op store at The Hard.

• On Sunday 4 October at 6.05pm, tobacco products worth approximately £30 were stolen from the Co-Op store on Northern Parade.

He pleaded guilty to ten counts of theft from a shop.

He was also found to be in breach of a suspended sentence order imposed in April at Portsmouth Magistrates Court for three counts of failing to stop, one count of driving while disqualified and two counts of theft.

The investigation was part of Operation Monster, which sees local officers in Portsmouth work with local businesses to tackle aggravated shoplifting and other offences against them.