A prolific thief who managed to stay out of trouble for two years has returned to his old dishonest ways.
Richard Dickinson had been in-and-out of prison for much of his adult life but appeared to be starting to turn his life around following his last theft offence for shoplifting in June 2020. However, the 28-year-old proved his wasn't quite a reformed character when he landed himself back in court this week for stealing £175-worth of pink jackets from Next, in Newcastle.
In what his solicitor described as a "blip in an otherwise improving picture", Dickinson entered the Eldon Square branch of the store earlier this month, helped himself to the clothing and left without paying, prosecutors said. But it didn't take long to track him down as his description was passed around and he was spotted on CCTV in the Gallowgate area of the city soon after.
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Dickinson, who has 81 offences on his record, including 47 for theft, pleaded guilty to shop theft at Newcastle Magistrates' Court and was given a 12-month conditional discharge.
Prosecutor, Rehana Haque, said a staff member at Next saw Dickinson, of Burnstones, in West Denton, enter the store on April 9 and select multiple items of clothing before leaving without paying. Ms Haque added: "An officer was asked to attend the incident where a male had stolen clothing from Next in Eldon Square.
"A description was passed around and he was seen on CCTV heading to the Gallowgate area of the city. Police arrested him and he had a number of pink coats on his person. He's cautioned and arrested and taken to police custody."
Paul Dunn, defending, said Dickinson had struggled with the anniversary of his mother's death in March, adding: "It's an immediate guilty plea. This seems to have been a blip in an otherwise improving picture. He's got a record but it's been two years since his last shop theft."
As previously reported on Chroniclelive, Dickinson was last in trouble in June 2020 when he stole a bank card from a work van in Newcastle city centre and used it 27 times in just a matter of hours. In total, he spent £253.99.
