A SHOPLIFTER who was caught in possession of cocaine, stolen meat and clothes worth hundreds of pounds has been jailed.

Ashik Ali, 48, has been jailed for ten months, after admitting to stealing clothes worth hundreds of pounds from stores in Winchester.

Ali, of Hyde Gate, Winchester, pleaded guilty to four counts of theft from a shop and one count of possession of a Class A drug.

He appeared at Basingstoke Magistrates Court on Thursday, July 25.

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The court heard that on Tuesday, July 9, Ali entered the Sass and Edge store, selected three jumpers from a display unit, and walked out without paying. The jumpers were valued at around £320 in total.

On Tuesday, July 16 and Thursday, July 18, Ali stole clothes worth a total of around £600 from TK Maxx in The Brooks Shopping Centre.

He also admitted stealing several packs of meat from Marks and Spencer in High Street on Wednesday, July 17.

Officers from the Winchester Priority Crime Team identified Ali through CCTV enquiries and arrested him at his address on Wednesday, July 24.

Ali was found with a wrap of cocaine, as well as some of the meat that had been stolen from the Marks and Spencer store.

He was jailed for ten months.

Inspector Matt Kirby said: “It is not acceptable for retail staff to come to work and fear or witness criminality.

“Ali is a repeat offender and brazenly took items from stores with no intention of paying for them.

“Shoplifting is a district priority for us and I hope this sentence provides some reassurance that we take this type of offending seriously.”