A prolific Brighton shoplifter pleaded guilty to 33 charges of theft when he appeared before Brighton magistrates.
Michael Murray, 33, of Percival Terrace, in Kemp Town, and formerly of Whitehawk Road, Brighton, repeatedly stole from the Co-op shop in Whitehawk Road.
Murray was served with a “community protection order” to try to stop him from stealing from the shop.
But in court last week, he also admitted breaching the order which was imposed in November last year.
The bench sent Murray to the crown court for sentence on Wednesday 19 January and ordered that he stay in prison until then.
The magistrates were concerned that he was likely to re-offend on the basis of his previous record and character.
Sussex Police said today (Thursday 30 December): “A prolific Brighton shoplifter accused of stealing dozens of items from stores in the city has pleaded guilty in court.
“Michael Murray, 33, of Percival Terrace, in Brighton, appeared at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 22 December, charged with 33 counts of theft and one of failing to comply with a community protection notice.
“The charges relate to a series of 31 thefts carried out at a Co-op store, in Whitehawk Road, during May, June, November and December of last year and a further two counts of theft from the Hollister store in Churchill Square.
“Murray was captured on CCTV taking dozens of items – often meat and dairy products – without paying, sometimes visiting the stores multiple times on the same day.
“On several occasions he was witnessed directly by store staff placing the items into a bag without paying and assaulted shop workers numerous times when confronted.
“In November last year, Murray was issued with a community protection order, restricting him from entering the Whitehawk Road Co-op following other reports of repeated shoplifting.
“He was found to have breached the order a number of times, often returning to steal more products.
“After admitting all of the charges against him, Murray will appear at Lewes Crown Court on Wednesday 19 January for sentencing.”
Chief Inspector Andy Westwood said: “Michael Murray is infamous among Brighton and Hove’s business community for his prolific offending.
“Not only does shoplifting have an enormous financial impact on businesses, it is also often an intimidating, stressful experience for shop staff subjected to it so brazenly.
“As a force we are committed to working with our partners in the business community to bring offenders to justice and I would like to thank all of the victims and witnesses involved for their support in securing this conviction.”
