Man jailed for assaults and thefts

Magistrates in Bristol have today, Tuesday 17 June, jailed a man for a total of 12 months after he admitted a string of offences.

Officers from the South Gloucestershire neighbourhood policing team arrested Anton Varga, 38, of Staple Hill, on Monday 16 June.

In court he admitted 17 thefts from shops, one assault of a member of public in a shop and one of a member of store staff, all between 30 May and 14 June 2025.

In those two weeks he stole items including meat worth more than £750, toiletries and laundry products from seven different shops in Downend, Fishponds, Lodge Causeway, Lyde Green, Mangotsfield and Staple Hill.

At today’s hearing Varga also entered guilty pleas to nine counts of breaching a five-year Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) imposed by the court in January 2025. These breaches included entering shops from which he was banned.

Neighbourhood Sergeant Richard Humphrey said: “We know the impact of repeated thefts, threats and assaults on shop staff and we’re determined to target offenders who persistently commit crime and cause harm in our communities.

“The sentence of 52 weeks – the maximum available to magistrates – was imposed for breaching the CBO, with jail terms for the other offences to run concurrently. This shows the effect such orders can have.”