A Middlesbrough man who committed 27 offences of shoplifting between the North Yorkshire and Cleveland areas has been stopped in his tracks.
Colleagues from Cleveland Police arrested Lee Mowbray, 34 from Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough on 10 August.
Mowbray pleaded guilty to the 27 offences on 11 August at Teesside Magistrates Court, and has been remanded in custody since then until his sentencing on Monday 8 September.
Mowbray has been sentenced to 12 months in jail. He has also been ordered to pay £5,849.92 in compensation as well as a surcharge of £187.
Of the 27 offences, 18 were committed at the Co-operative store on the High Street in Great Ayton.
These thefts totalled almost £3,500 and took place between March and June 2025.
On each occasion Mowbray came prepared to steal – he filled a large bag with items, mainly laundry products and meat and left the store without making any attempt to pay. On one occasion in March, he took just over £520 worth of stock.
A further nine offences of shop theft were committed by Mowbray in Middlesbrough.
Sergeant Jessica Hall-Christie from our Retail Crime team said: “In North Yorkshire Police, we never view shop theft as a low-level crime, we understand the significant negative impact it has on businesses, employees, customers and local communities.
“We’ve placed a real focus on addressing these crimes, leading to a number of arrests. With Cleveland police’s help, we’ve been able to stop Mowbray targeting businesses in both areas.
“We hope Mowbray’s sentencing shows a clear message that in both North Yorkshire and Cleveland, crimes of this nature will not be tolerated.
“We are committed to doing everything we can to seek justice, ensuring our communities and businesses are safe and feel safe, and offenders are brought to justice.”
Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Team Inspector Darren Birkett said: “We’re pleased that Lee Mowbray has now been dealt with for the offences that he has carried out in both the Cleveland and North Yorkshire areas. He is a prolific offender who was causing misery for our local businesses, and this will not be tolerated.”
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