An anti-social serial shoplifter has been banned from 10 shops and businesses in and near York city centre as magistrates try to protect shop staff from him.
Other shops can be added to the list Gary Maddison cannot enter if they give him written notice he is banned from their premises.
York magistrates heard that the 62-year-old has been stealing from the city’s shops for many years and has a long history of being abusive or unpleasant to shop staff.
Last year he was jailed after he made sexual comments to a policewoman. He had just defied a ban on entering an Acomb bookmakers made because of his behaviour towards staff there.
York magistrates made the ban under a criminal behaviour order (CBO) on the day it was announced that nationally shoplifting had risen by a third to the highest level for 20 years.
James Lowman, chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores, revealed that shopworkers were likely to face abuse when they challenged thieves and that many thieves were escaping punishment because of police inaction.
Maddison faces up to five years in jail if he breaks the order.
His solicitor Andrew Craven told magistrates Maddison was a schizophrenic who preferred using street amphetamine to prescription medicine to deal with his symptoms and stole to buy drugs or to get alcohol when he couldn’t get drugs.
“He is causing trouble and nuisance. Sometimes he is drunk, sometimes he is hearing voices,” said the defence solicitor.
“The whole point of the CBO is to protect small stores and shops in the city centre with which this gentleman has had difficulties within the last 18 months.”
Kathryn Walters, prosecuting, said security staff at Fenwick spotted Maddison behaving suspiciously in their department store on February 3. They followed him as he went to Flying Tiger and Primark, both nearby and sent out a general alert on the city centre shop security network.
Police caught up with Maddison outside Primark and found he had clothing and four ear-rings on him. When contacted, neither Flying Tiger nor Primark wanted to make a formal complaint about him, but Claires Accessories did. Further investigations revealed he had raided Co-op in Clarence Street on January 28.
Maddison, who gave his address as a guesthouse off Wigginton Road, York, pleaded guilty to stealing chocolate from the Co-op on January 28 and stealing ear-rings worth £42 from Claires Accessories on February 3 and failure to stay at court on April 23 until his case was heard. He appeared in court after being arrested on warrant.
He was made subject to a 12-month community order with 25 days’ rehabilitative activities and ordered to pay a £114 statutory surcharge.
Magistrates made a two-year CBO banning him from Sainsbury’s and Tesco stores in Piccadilly, Sainsbury’s in Micklegate, McDonald's in Blake Street, Primark and Flying Tiger in Coppergate Centre, Co-op in Clarence Street, Caffe Nero in King Street, Claires Accessories in Parliament Street and HMV in Coney Street, and any shop whose staff gives him written notice that he is banned during the order’s duration.
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