A habitual shoplifter in Swale has been incarcerated once again after admitting to multiple thefts. Lisa Willet, who was already serving a suspended prison sentence, decided to continue her shoplifting spree in Sittingbourne.

On Monday, January 1, 2024, she pilfered laundry products from a store located in Gadby Road. Willet brazenly returned to the same establishment a fortnight later, leaving without paying for a can of drink. Her criminal streak continued as she helped herself to more laundry items from Morrisons on Milton High Street on Sunday, January 7. Two days after that, Willet walked out of Aldi on East Street with a substantial quantity of steaks and meat joints, not attempt to pay for her loot.

Law enforcement officers were summoned to Lidl on West Street on Wednesday, January 17, where she had been apprehended by vigilant staff while trying to abscond with numerous joints of beef. Subsequently, Willet, residing on Frederick Street in Sittingbourne, was arrested and charged by investigators from the Swale Victim-Based Crime Team with a total of five thefts.

Appearing before Medway Magistrates’ Court on Friday, January 19, the 44-year-old pleaded guilty and was promptly sentenced to 260 days’ imprisonment. This included the activation of her previously suspended sentence.

Inspector Vanessa Foster, from the Sittingbourne Community Safety Unit, commented on the case, stating, “Our investigators have ensured another thief who targets our local shops has been charged and sent to prison. We will also be applying to the court for a strict criminal behaviour order banning her from entering several businesses when she is released.

This latest conviction serves as a stark reminder that the authorities in Swale are committed to safeguarding local businesses from theft and maintaining the security of the community.