Tesco thief banned from all UK supermarkets after £1.6k booze haul
A man who stole thousands of pounds’ worth of alcohol from Tesco has been banned from every supermarket in the country. His case, soon to be heard at crown court, raises questions about how such a ban could be enforced.
John Bailey, 55, has been banned from every supermarket in Britain after admitting to stealing £1,643 worth of alcohol from a Tesco in Skipton. As reported by the Telegraph & Argus, he pleaded guilty to shop theft on 11 June and appeared before Skipton Magistrates Court in September.
The court heard that Bailey was already the subject of three suspended prison sentences for shop theft, two imposed before the Tesco incident and one after. On the day of the theft, he filled a trolley with bottles of alcohol and attempted to leave the Craven Street store. He was stopped before he could make his escape and all the bottles were recovered.
Bailey’s defence told the court that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and was due to see a psychologist to help him address a long-standing gambling addiction. Magistrates initially deferred sentencing and imposed an interim ban from all Tesco and Sainsbury’s stores in West and North Yorkshire.
Nationwide ban
That order was later extended. When Bailey reappeared at Harrogate Magistrates Court on 24 October, he was committed to York Crown Court for sentencing on 20 November and given a nationwide exclusion order prohibiting him from entering any supermarket in the UK.
It remains to be seen how such a sweeping ban could ever be enforced.
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His case also highlights the curious elasticity of justice when it comes to alcohol theft. While Bailey awaits sentencing for a crime worth £1,643, another man accused of stealing fifteen times as much in fine wine has been offered a chance to make amends.
The tuk-tuk and the fine wine
As reported by the drinks business, Iuliu Kubola, 61, a pedicab driver from Islington, admitted to stealing £24,000 worth of fine wine and Champagne from some of London’s most exclusive restaurants. His spree included six burglaries across Mayfair, Belgravia and the City, with Piazza Italiana on Threadneedle Street among his favoured targets.
CCTV captured Kubola using a wheelie bin to cart his stolen bottles to his tuk-tuk. When questioned by police about his motive, he reportedly said, “The wine is to drink, no?”
Judge Mark Lucraft KC delayed sentencing at the Old Bailey this week to give Kubola time to help police recover the stolen bottles. He has until 3 November to return the loot.
Among the recovered goods were bottles of Villa Bucci wine, Laurent-Perrier Champagne, Jack Daniel’s and Shaw and Smith Chardonnay, one of which was found half-empty. Officers also discovered a toolkit in his tuk-tuk, complete with crowbars, pliers and an angle grinder.
His defence barrister, Daisy Kell-Jones, told the court that Kubola had previously worked at two of the restaurants he later burgled and “made the reckless and stupid decision” to take matters into his own hands after not being paid.
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