Man jailed after stealing cigarettes in shop burglary

A man has been jailed for six months after stealing a significant number of cigarettes in a burglary at a convenience store in Weston-super-Mare.

Grant Turner, 38, of Winchester Road, Brislington, pleaded guilty to burglary and was sentenced at North Somerset Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 2 September.

He was sentenced to six months imprisonment and ordered to pay £2,146 in compensation to the shop on Locking Road, which he broke into on Thursday 31 July this year.

PC Ben Marshall, of the North Somerset neighbourhood policing team, said: “We quickly picked up this investigation which led to a timely arrest and charge of Turner.

“The victim was awarded compensation, and this case demonstrates effective partnership working and proactive policing by the neighbourhood team, which will reassure the business community we take offences like this seriously.

“The impact of theft and threatening behaviour on retailers – especially small businesses – cannot be underestimated. Not only does it have a knock-on effect on the running of a business, which may have economic implications for the wider community, but it can cause harassment, alarm and distress to business owners and staff.”