A NUMBER of shoplifters have been sentenced at magistrates' courts in recent weeks for targeting stores across south Essex.

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A THIEF who stole nearly £200 worth of goods during a shoplifting spree has been ordered to pay compensation.

Damien Barnes, 39, targeted Morrisons on Felmores, BP stores in Basildon and Co-op in South Ockendon, taking around £195 worth of shopping between June 3 and September 22.

He admitted seven counts of shop theft at Southend Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, November 7, where he was ordered to pay £254.93 in compensation.

Barnes, of Long Riding, Basildon, was also given a 12-month conditional discharge, meaning he faces no further action if he does not commit another offence during this period.

A PROLIFIC shoplifter who targeted a BP garage in Basildon has been jailed.

Dylan Smith, 28, stole alcohol and food worth a total of £193 from the East Mayne garage during a shoplifting spree between September 19 and October 30.

He admitted four counts of shop theft at Southend Magistrates’ Court last Thursday where he was jailed for eight weeks.

Smith, of Whitmore Way, Basildon, was also ordered to pay £132.10 in compensation.

A THIEF stole hundreds of pounds worth of clothes from TK Maxx with a de-tagging device.

Liviu Puican, 57, stole clothing worth £591.14 from the major retailer at Thurrock Shopping Park, next to Lakeside, on October 13.

He targeted the store again on November 8, taking a de-tagging device to steal £149.98 worth of clothes.

Puican, of Creighton Avenue, East Ham, in London, admitted the offences at Southend Magistrates’ Court last Monday where he was handed 150 hours of unpaid work.

He has also been ordered to pay £200 in compensation.

A THIEF has been hit with a suspended sentence after taking almost £100 worth of shopping from a BP store.

Liam Downs, 25, stole £92.75 worth of various items from a garage in Basildon on September 12.

He admitted the offence at Southend Magistrates’ Court last Thursday where he was sentenced to three months in prison, suspended for a year.

Downs, of Wimbourne, Laindon, was also ordered to carry out 40 hours of unpaid work and pay £92.75 in compensation.

A SHOPLIFTER who targeted a Morrisons supermarket has been given a conditional discharge.

Keith Sear, of Beambridge Place, Basildon, stole razor blades, a leg of lamb and chocolate bars worth a total of £90 from the Loughton supermarket on November 9.

The 45-year-old admitted one count of shop theft and was given a 12-month conditional discharge at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court last Monday.

This means he will face no further action if he does not commit another offence during this time.

No order for compensation was made due to a lack of means and goods recovered.

A SHOPLIFTER who targeted a Tesco supermarket has been handed unpaid work.

Florin Durac, of Harrow Road, North Benfleet, stole food, home goods and children’s clothes worth £284.54 from Tesco in Chelmsford’s Springfield Road on November 3.

He admitted the offence the following day at Southend Magistrates’ Court, where he was ordered to carry out 40 hours of unpaid work within the next year.

The 21-year-old was also ordered to pay costs of £85 and £114 surcharge.