On 25 September 2023, a man in his 70s holding £200 while waiting in a queue at a Lloyds Bank in Chatham High Street was robbed by Samuel Bronton, who was standing behind him when he suddenly snatched the cash from the victim before sprinting away.
32-year-old Bronton went on to commit another theft on Tuesday 28 November when he walked into Boots the Chemist in the Pentagon Centre, put razor blades and other toiletries worth more than £460 in a bag, and left without paying.
On Friday 22 December, officers on patrol in Bryant Street spotted Bronton and arrested him. He was later charged by investigators from the Medway Victim Based Crime Team with both thefts and held in custody. He appeared before Medway Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 26 December where he admitted to both offences. He was given bail on the condition that he would be sentenced at the same court on 28 February 2024.