Folkestone shoplifter jailed after causing thousands of pounds worth of damage
Folkestone shoplifter jailed for a year for series of thefts A shoplifter who stole more than £1,200 worth of goods from stores in Folkestone has been jailed. Darren Griffin took clothing, electrical equipment and alcohol in a series of thefts between November 2019 and January 2020. He separately stole a £1,000 bike from a man in the town and caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to a supermarket. Police arrested him after scouring CCTV from the shops he targeted and he has since admitted six counts of shoplifting. The 27-year-old, who also pleaded guilty to criminal damage and assaulting a woman, was jailed for a total of 12 months at Medway Magistrates Court. Griffin, of no fixed abode, stole a £250 television, £350 worth of sports clothing and a £120 jacket from stores in the Bouverie Place Shopping Centre on 3 November 2019, 13 November 2019 and 1 January 2020. In separate thefts, he also took £330 worth of ink cartridges from a store in Bouverie Road West on 13 November 2019 and six bottles of alcohol worth £214 from a supermarket on 7 January 2020. During the second of those thefts, he smashed a glass door to get away from staff, causing several thousand pounds worth of damage. His final theft came on 7 January 2020, when he stole a bicycle worth around £1,000 from a man in Dover Road, Folkestone. He was also sentenced for an assault, during which he shouted abuse at a woman in Cambridge Gardens and pressed his head against her to intimidate her on 6 December 2019. After building up a case against Griffin, police arrested him on Wednesday 15 January 2020 and found him to be in possession of cannabis. After being confronted with CCTV and other evidence, Griffin admitted shoplifting, theft of a bike, assault, criminal damage and possession of cannabis in court on Thursday 16 January 2020. Chief Inspector Nick Sparkes, District Commander for Folkestone and Hythe, said: ‘Our team in Folkestone worked hard to put together a strong case against Griffin and give the town’s businesses a welcome break from his offending. Shoplifting impacts on staff, customers and the wider community and our officers work with stores to ensure they are protected from repeat offenders like Griffin.
