Greater Manchester Police have responded to comments made by a judge following their investigation of a prolific Asda shoplifter. Earlier this week, Michael Gormley was jailed for 28 months after he was caught raiding Harpurhey’s Asda after he was released on bail.
The 31-year-old was eventually caught following a 12-minute police chase which saw officers forced to crash into a Citroen Picasso he was driving as a means to stop him. He has since pleaded guilty to two offences of theft, dangerous driving, driving without a licence and without insurance.
Judge Anthony Cross QC blasted the investigation and raised major concerns about the handling of the case, stating that ‘no real police work was done to arrest’ Gormley. He demanded that a report was done by GMP into what happened and how it could be avoided in the future.
