Is this Northampton's WORST shoplifter? Thief racked up £1,000 haul targeting Tesco 35 times in 84 days

Court documents showed that Cooke, aged 34, stole wine, meat, cheese, laundry products and even Easter eggs from Tesco in the town. He was ordered to pay more than £1,000 in compensation for items he stole or attempted to steal — although the value of 10 thefts remains unknown.

Cooke, of Montague Crescent, pleaded guilty to all 35 theft charges when he appeared at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on September 12, 2024, plus one count of possession of a “small amount” of diamorphine — a controlled class A drug — and failing to surrender to custody. He was issued with a 12-month drug rehabilitation order and ordered to pay a total of £1,095.45 in compensation.

His thieving spree began on March 4, 2024 — on the same day he previously appeared in court for shoplifting — when he took two cans of Red Bull, cheese, Ferrero Rocher and a pack of cookies. In all, he admitted stealing from the store 11 times in March, another 11 times during April and 13 times in May before his final crime of stealing meat and cheese on May 27.

According to the court, on at least one occasion he concealed stolen goods in his trousers. His biggest haul was £100 worth of meat and coffee on May 13 and £100 of confectionary six days later.

It was Cooke’s second trip to court in 2024. In March, he was fined for six thefts from a local Co-op store in Northampton.

Northamptonshire Police says it is committed to combating shoplifting, which is often linked to aggravating factors including associated violent or drug-related offending. The Retail Crime Action Plan was launched nationally in October 2023 and outlines how police attendance will be prioritised at retail crimes where violence has been used, where a repeat or prolific offender has been detained or where evidence needs to be promptly secured.

A Northamptonshire Police spokesman said: “We are committed to delivering against the national Retail Crime Action Plan and we will continue to work alongside our retail business partners to reduce retail theft and offences against retail staff, while bringing more offenders to justice.”