Prolific shoplifter jailed after 17 thefts from Bath retailer

A prolific shoplifter described as a “professional criminal” from Bath has been jailed after admitting to a string of offences in Bath this summer.

Louisianna Santillo, 44, of Combe Down, received a two-month prison sentence at Bath Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 2 July after she pleaded guilty to 17 shop thefts from The Co-operative, in Mount Road, between 17 June and 1 July.

Magistrates deemed the offences so serious that only a custodial sentence was suitable and noted the defendant had a “flagrant disregard for people and their property” and that she “is operating as a professional criminal.”

Santillo also received a two-year criminal behaviour order (CBO) which has conditions preventing her entering shops within certain areas, including Fox Hill, Odd Down and Combe, upon release from prison.

Sergeant Tom Allwood-Coppin, of the Bath neighbourhood policing team, said: “This conviction and CBO is reflective of the harm Santillo has caused businesses within our communities.

“Retail crime is not a victim-less crime. Shoplifting can have a huge impact on companies, particularly small businesses, and we are targeting prolific thieves and trying to secure convictions against as many of them as possible.

“Santillo has received a jail sentence for her crimes, but we are particularly pleased that our application for a CBO has been successful. This will help protect these retail premises and the staff employed who have suffered repeatedly at the hands of Santillo for the next two years.”

If a crime is ongoing, always call 999. For anything else, you can either call 101 or report it online through this link: https://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/report/