A court heard that Ashley Daley went on a shoplifting spree and did not take any efforts to hide his identity, boldly walking into stores and filling up bags with meat, Easter eggs and alcohol
A still of Ashley Daley stealing Mini Eggs from Tesco(Image: South Wales Police)
A man has been jailed after a shoplifting spree that included nicking an entire display of Mini Eggs from a Tesco supermarket. Ashley Daley, 39, targeted shops in Cardiff, Taff’s Well, Merthyr Tydfil, Chepstow and Caldicot causing £4,000 in losses.
He embarked on a prolific spell of thefts over three weeks across south Wales and Gwent, repeatedly stealing from supermarkets “in a planned manner, by attending a variety of different locations”, said a South Wales Police spokesperson. He didn’t try to hide his identity and many of his crimes were caught on camera.
The spokesman added: “Daley did not take any efforts to hide his identity, boldly walking into stores and filling up bags with meat, Easter eggs and alcohol, which amounted to a high loss for the businesses.
“In one case he attended a store stealing an entire display of Mini Eggs, making no effort to mask his wrongdoing, with all of these incidents being captured on CCTV.”
Police stopped Daley in a vehicle on February 21, shortly after he had committed a theft. Upon arrest a kitchen knife was found in his possession. Ensure you don’t miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here
In his police interview Daley appeared irritated, planting his hands in his tracksuit bottoms and answering “no comment” to questions about his offending.
Ashley Daley(Image: South Wales Police)
Daley admitted 12 offences of theft, one of attempted theft, and one of possession of a bladed article. He has been jailed for four months.
At times Daley appeared from store CCTV footage to be assisted by a female accomplice, though South Wales Police has not confirmed details of any investigation into her actions.
The investigating officer, detective constable Warriner, said Daley had been involved in shoplifting in the west Midlands as well as in Wales.
‘Daley is a prolific offender who was brazen in his actions across the country, showing a clear disregard for the law and believing himself above it,” said DC Warriner.
“Shoplifting is not a victimless crime, and offenders like Daley have a big financial impact on businesses, and emotional impact on those who work there. Daley would have continued targeting businesses across the UK and I am glad to see that he has now been prevented from doing so.”
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