Prolific Gillingham thief back behind bars after targeting Sainsbury’s and Morrisons stores in Herne Bay, Sittingbourne and Queenborough

A habitual thief back behind bars after admitting to all but one shoplifting offence says at least he’s got somewhere warm to kip this winter.

Lewis O’Brien, from Gillingham, was released from a short prison sentence on September 27.

But just six days later he was arrested after being caught stealing £85 of alcohol from a supermarket in Herne Bay.

The 34-year-old, who was still on licence from prison when he committed the crime, was arrested and hauled before the courts the next day.

During the hearing he also admitted several other theft offences, including one which he said he couldn’t have committed because he was still in his prison cell at the time.

O’Brien, of Canterbury Street, Gillingham was charged with stealing £85 of alcohol from the Morrison’s store in Herne Bay on October, 3, but also admitted six other shoplifting offences when he appeared in the dock at Margate Magistrates’ Court on October 4.

Prosecutor Julie Farbrace told the court the other offences happened in Sittingbourne and Queenborough between August 31 and September 26.

Magistrates heard O’Brien went into the Sainsbury’s store in Sittingbourne twice on August 31 and took two lots of booze valued at £72.

Then, on September 1, he went back to the store in the Avenue of Remembrance and swiped £72 of alcohol from inside.

The next day the serial offender was at it again when he stole cigarettes worth £35 from Chaucer Newsagents in the town and then on September 5, he visited the Morrisons store in Queenborough and took an unknown amount of alcohol from the shelves.

In May last year, O’Brien, who has a lengthy record, was handed a community order after stealing clothes from the TK Maxx store in Chatham, not long after serving a 38-month stretch for robbery.

Magistrates also heard this month that he stole vodka and a milkshake from the Morrisons store in Herne Bay on September 26, also of an unknown value.

But when O’Brien spoke to the bench about his offending, he then told them despite admitting the offence, he couldn’t have done it.

He said: “The one of the 26th couldn’t have been me as I was in prison, but winter is coming and I now have accommodation.”

Magistrates said as the offences were so serious and committed while he was on licence that only a prison sentence would be appropriate.

They jailed O’Brien for eight weeks for all the offences and ordered he pay £144 compensation to Sainsbury’s, £35 to the newsagents and £100 to Morrisons.