Businesses in Selly Oak have complained of ‘persistent thefts’ – with three now charged with multiple shoplifting offences
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Three shoplifting suspects from Birmingham are facing court charges after a crackdown in a city suburb after businesses raised concerns.
The Selly Oak neighbourhood team has acted after shopkeepers and the community highlighted issues of persistent thefts from stores in the area.
West Midlands Police has now charged two women and one man with a total of 57 offences and other crimes in the area.
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Stuart O’Donnell, 51, of no fixed address, has been charged with 29 thefts from shops – the most of the three suspects.
He also faces charges of two robberies, as well as possession of a knife and assaulting an emergency worker.
Lisa Harbun, 30, of Dormstone Drive, in Weoley Castle, has been charged with 18 shop thefts, two assaults and an attempted theft from a shop.
While Kathleen Lyons, 53, Ludstone Road, Weoley Castle, has been charged with 10 thefts from shops.
All three are due in court later this month.
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A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: “We know the distress and trouble persistent shop thefts can cause businesses, and we are taking action across the force.
“Along with custodial sentences, we regularly apply for Criminal Behaviour Orders against people responsible for persistent thefts.
“These orders allow us to prevent people from visiting places they are known to offend.
“If found there, they can be arrested and brought back before the courts.
“We made 1,272 arrests for shop thefts in the first four months of 2025, a significant increase on the same period in 2023.
“During the first quarter of 2025, we detected more of these offences than any other force in the country.”