The courts of the North East come across a whole host of cases, from gruesome murders to white-collar crime. But one of the most common offences defendants are hauled before the court for is theft.
Some shoplifters are incredibly prolific, targeting shops numerous times before they're brought to justice. From a serial thief with 250 offences on his record to a man who pretended he couldn't walk and used a wheelchair to aid his criminality, we've rounded up some of the shoplifters and thieves sentenced in the past year.
Here, we take a look at eight of the most notorious criminals who have been dragged into the dock in the past 12 months for shoplifting and theft offences.
