Thief jailed after stealing £3,000 handbag (From Your Local Guardian)

Thief jailed after stealing £3,000 handbag from Sutton shop

9:59am Monday 9th July 2012 in Sutton By Matt Watts

A thief who stole a Gucci handbag containing £1,200 from a shopper has been jailed for 16 weeks.

John Gwillim-Jones, 58, went into Marks & Spencer, High Street, Sutton, and unhooked the handbag from the back of a shopping trolley while its owner, in her 30s, was standing next to it browsing the drinks shelves.

Gwillim-Jones then left the store quickly. The handbag and its cash contents had a total value of £3,000.

Officers obtained CCTV images of the incident from M&S and circulated on a database to all MPS police officers in London.

The 58-year-old, of no fixed abode, was then identified by a police officer and arrested.

Gwillim-Jones admitted the offence at interview and was charged with the theft of the handbag.

He was jailed for 16 weeks at Croydon Magistrates Court on July 4 after pleading guilty on May 1.