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A Medway man has been sentenced to 12 months in prison after repeatedly stealing from a Gillingham Co-op, despite being banned from ALL Co-op stores in Kent.
Clive Tilley, 43, from Chatham, targeted the Canterbury Street Co-op three times in just ten days between June 1 and June 11, 2025. On each occasion, Tilley filled a shopping basket with meat products, making off with an estimated £240 worth of goods.
Tilley was already subject to a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) issued in July 2023, which prohibited him from entering any Co-op in Kent for five years. His recent string of thefts put him in direct breach of this court order.
Arrested on Saturday, June 14, Tilley pleaded guilty to all charges, including theft and CBO breaches, before magistrates on Tuesday, June 17. He was immediately handed a 12-month prison sentence.
PC Jay Prow said:
‘The court order that Tilley was issued is in place to protect businesses and the local community, and this brazen offender thought nothing of ignoring it. He’s shown blatant disregard and now that he’s been given a custodial sentence, I hope the message is clear: we won’t tolerate retail crime, and we’ll continue to bring offenders before the courts to face justice.’