A man who dyed his hair and wore disguises to go shoplifting multiple times, stealing £39,500 of goods, was caught because he always carried the same bag. Craig Sawyer, 51, was dubbed ‘satchel man’ because he always used the same brown satchel when he went shoplifting.
Sawyer, who was caught red-handed on Saturday, has now been banned from entering all 2,100 Boots stores nationally for five years. A court heard he stole £28,000 worth of goods from Boots and almost £11,500 from branches of the Co-op and B&Q.
He was finally caught red-handed at a Co-op in Malvern, Worcs., last Saturday. He has since been found guilty of 16 thefts, including 12 from Boots stores in Evesham, Malvern, Walsall and Shrewsbury. After he appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday Sawyer was jailed for nine-and-a-half months.
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He was also slapped with a five-year Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) banning him from entering all Boots stores in the UK. Sawyer, of no fixed address, was also banned from entering the entire county of Worcestershire until 2030. The court heard Sawyer dyed his hair different colours and use glasses to change his appearance in a bid to fool security guards and staff.
When he was arrested, officers discovered he was wearing numerous different outer jackets. He was nailed after cops found that despite his elaborate disguises, he also took the same brown shoulder bag when he went shoplifting – earning him the nickname ‘Satchel Man’.
He was also sentenced to 22 weeks in prison to run consecutively as a suspended term was activated relating to two thefts from more shops. Inspector Dave Wise, of West Mercia Police, said: “Achieving an immediate custodial sentence and CBO for Sawyer is a real success and serves to protect our retailers in the longer term.
“His CBO bans him from Worcestershire and from all Boots stores nationally. It’s our focus on retail crime and commitment to improving working relationships with local stores that has helped us catch this evasive and prolific thief.”