A persistent shoplifter has avoided jail and is to be punished by being made to hold a conference with at least one of the shops he has stolen from.
Magistrates have ordered persistent thief to have consultation with victims, as part of Restorative Justice
Birmingham magistrates yesterday (22nd August) told 42 year-old David Robert Merriman that this ‘restorative justice’ conference will enable him to understand the impact his thefts are having on the shop, and on the wider community because of the price increases that thefts cause to the public.
Restorative justice (RJ) is being trialled in various parts of the UK, including Castle Vale. Supporters of RJ see it as a humane alternative to prison; opponents see it as a soft option used by a society whose prisons are full.
In this particular case, Merriman has also been given a three-month prison sentence, but it has been suspended for twelve months on condition that he completes the RJ programme, and obeys a series of other restrictions.
He has been caught shoplifting on three separate occasions in the past ten days.
They include:
- 10th August: stealing deodorant worth over £30 from BP Express
- 17th August: stealing £300 of goods from B&M in Castle Vale
- 19th August: stealing £20 of chocolate bars from Sainsbury’s service station in Castle Vale.
Merriman has also been banned from entering the following shopping areas for two years:
- Fort Retail Park
- Castle Vale Retail Park
- Princess Alice Shopping Centre
- LIDL supermarket on Kingsbury Road
- Ravenside Retail Park
He has also been ordered to have treatment for drug dependency, and to take positive steps to try and get a job or an apprenticeship.
The post No jail, but you must talk with victims, magistrates tell thief now banned from string of shopping centres appeared first on Tyburn Mail.
There were 861 young people in custody in July 2016, 73% lower than October 2002 when there were 3,200, says Colin Allars, Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Board.
