Overview
- Chelmsford Crown Court jailed Daniel Jones, 38, for 18 months after he admitted 33 thefts, imposing 12 months for the new offences and activating six months from a suspended term with a £187 victim surcharge.
- The court recorded 31 breaches of a two-year criminal behaviour order that banned him from all Co-op stores in Essex.
- His thefts ran from April 2025 to January 2026 across four shops, including Co-op branches and an M&S at a BP site, with total losses of £2,926.73.
- Officers arrested him in February after finding him hiding inside the base of a divan bed during a neighbourhood visit under Operation Valuable.
- Essex Police say Operation Valuable uses high-visibility and plain-clothes patrols and works with shop staff to gather CCTV and witness statements, and the effort will continue to target repeat offenders.