Not a great advert for Christmas: Leamington shoplifter John Lewis will spend the festive period behind bars

A prolific thief who admitted four counts of shoplifting will spend Christmas behind bars having been jailed for 26 weeks.

John Lewis, 33, of Spencer Street in Leamington, was arrested by police on November 25 after he was spotted stealing two bottles of gin from a shop in the Parade.

Lewis was picked up by CCTV operators in the town who tracked him to Bath Street. Lewis was then arrested.

Staff at the shop also presented evidence that Lewis had stolen from the store three times the previous day.

In interview, despite being presented with CCTV images of someone who looked like him, was dressed like him at the time he was arrested and had the same tattoo on his hand Lewis denied it was him, claiming that he had in fact been at home all day apart from popping out to collect a prescription.

Officers said they were happy that the overwhelming evidence against him and his previous history of shoplifting was enough to charge and remand him.

At the time of the offences, Lewis was serving a suspended prison sentence having been convicted of 21 counts of shoplifting last month.

He was brought before Warwickshire Magistrates’ Court yesterday (Monday November 27), where he pleaded guilty to four charges against him.

The suspended sentence of 18 weeks was activated with a further eight weeks for the latest offences; totalling 26 weeks.

PC Barney Tandy from the Leamington Patrol Investigation Unit said: “With the busy Christmas period fast approaching I’m sure lots of shop workers and business owners in the town will be pleased to see Lewis behind bars.”