Prolific thief locked up for ransacking Co-op just days after court leniency
Repeat Offender Busted Again at Bexley Co-op
Daniel Wodley, 37, has been slammed with a 12-month prison sentence for stealing £790 worth of tobacco from a Co-op in Bexley. The brazen raid took place barely two days after he dodged jail for another theft.
Wodley was sentenced at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on Monday, March 17, after targeting the Co-op on Steynton Avenue near Albany Park station. This latest crime piled onto a growing list of offences from the seasoned crook.
Court’s Leniency Backfires Big Time
Just four days earlier, on March 13, Wodley was handed a community order for nicking £283 in cash and booze from a separate Co-op branch in Anerley. He was banned from that store and ordered to join drug rehab.
But Wodley ignored all warnings, ripping off the Steynton Avenue shop within 48 hours of the court’s leniency. Magistrates blasted him as a “persistent, wilful and deliberate offender” with an “appalling criminal record.” They blasted his failure to tackle his drug issues.
Same Store Targeted Three Times in Months
Court papers revealed this was Wodley’s third strike at the same Bexley Co-op in recent months, following two tobacco thefts in January. The pattern of repeat offending ignited the judge’s decision to finally throw the book at him.
“Mr Wodley’s repeated offending shows a clear disregard for the law and for the opportunities given to him to reform. A custodial sentence was necessary to protect businesses and the public.”
Retail Crime Soars in Southeast London
The case shines a light on the rising tide of retail crime hitting local convenience stores. Bexley and southeast London police and shopkeepers alike have sounded the alarm, calling for tougher action to crack down on repeat offenders like Wodley.
