Peterborough man jailed after stealing washing powder while high on drugs

Gregory Scothern, 28, was with two friends in the Spar shop in Welland Road, Peterborough, on 9 March, when he grabbed two boxes of Daz washing powder and fled.

Scothern, of Redmile Walk, Peterborough, then immediately entered the shop a second time to steal more washing powder. The manager attempted to detain him and a scuffle ensued but Scothern escaped with help from the other two men.

Police arrested him shortly afterwards using leg restraints, as he was kicking and yelling abuse.

In police interview Scothern said he had taken heroin and drunk alcohol before going to the shop and had stolen washing powder because it was easy to sell.

At Cambridge Crown Court on 26 April, after pleading guilty to theft from a shop, failing to surrender to court and breach of a suspended sentence order, Scothern was sentenced to 16 months. He received one month for theft from a shop, 14 months for breach of a suspended sentence order, which was for a separate past offence, and one month for failing to attend court.

PC Symian Traer-Goffe said: “Scothern may have stolen low-value items in what seems like a silly, school-boy style theft, but he went out with the intention to cause trouble and posed a risk to the public.

“Thankfully, after a call from the shop we managed to stop him in his tracks.”