A man who attempted to steal around £50,000 worth of goods from a department store in Wimbledon has been sentenced to prison.
Gerard Hoskins, 47, of Cranmer Farm Close, Mitcham, pleaded guilty to burglary at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court on Monday, April 28.
On Sunday, April 27, officers were called to Elys Wimbledon by security staff at 6.50am.
Hoskins broke into the department store through a display window before filling his bags with clothing, sunglasses, perfumes and aftershaves.
Officers were let into Elys by security staff.
Once inside, Hoskins ran into the officers while attempting to escape.
He was immediately arrested and taken to Wandsworth Police Station.
Hoskins was charged with burglary after an investigation by the Met's Volume Crime Team in south west London.
He was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, on Wednesday, August 27.
Detective Sergeant Ben Christmas, from the Met’s Volume Crime Team in South West London, who led the investigation said: “Tackling retail crime is a key priority and we are determined to crack down on this type of crime in our communities.
“We know these offences have a huge impact on businesses, which is why we continue to build strong relationships with local businesses, carry out regular patrols and issue crime prevention advice.
“We are relentlessly targeting prolific offenders through pro-active intelligence-led operations and have now reduced neighbourhood crime by 14 per cent this year.”
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