A man who used a shovel to smash his way into a shop and threatened a staff member with a knife during a bizarre chocolate-stealing spree has been jailed for more than five years.
Eight-Day Crime Spree Across the Black Country
The offences took place over eight days in July, targeting shops in Stourbridge and Lye. Timothy Little, 44, of no fixed address, first struck at a store on Hungry Hill in Stourbridge on July 5.
Shocking CCTV footage captured Little kicking the shop's front door and then using a garden shovel to smash the glass panel. He then climbed through the broken door and stole a quantity of chocolate from the shelves.
Knife Threat During Second Raid
The following day, July 6, Little began a targeted series of thefts at a store on Belmont Road in Lye. During one incident, he was confronted by a member of staff as he again attempted to steal chocolate products.
In response, Little held a small knife towards the staff member and shouted "move" before making off with the goods. West Midlands Police stated that Little stole items from the same Lye store eight times during his crime spree.
Guilty Plea Leads to Prison Sentence
Little later handed himself in at Brierley Hill Police Station. He was subsequently charged with robbery, aggravated burglary and shop theft.
After pleading guilty at an earlier hearing, Little was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court to five years and three months in prison.
PC Luke Johnson from the Brierley Hill Neighbourhood Team said: "Little not only stole a variety of items but also threatened staff with a knife. We take shop theft and retail crime extremely seriously and we want to encourage businesses to keep reporting incidents so we can put more offenders like Little behind bars."
The police spokesperson credited good CCTV footage and local officer knowledge for helping to identify Little as the suspect for all the offences.
