On 25 September 2023, a man in his 70s was holding £200 while waiting in a queue at Lloyds Bank in Chatham High Street. Samuel Bronton was standing behind him and suddenly snatched the money from the victim before running from the scene.
Bronton, of no fixed address, committed a further theft on Tuesday 28 November. Having entered Boots the Chemist in the Pentagon Centre, he placed razor blades and other toiletries valued at more than £460 in a bag and left without attempting to pay.
On Friday 22 December, officers on patrol in Bryant Street spotted Bronton and arrested him. He was later charged by investigators from the Medway Victim Based Crime Team with both thefts and remanded in custody. The 32-year-old appeared before Medway Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 26 December where he pleaded guilty to both indictments. He was conditionally bailed to be sentenced at the same court on 28 February 2024.
