Serial jailbird locked up for FOURTH time in two years after stealing booze and chocolate from Northampton M&S and Spar

Thief’s ‘previous’ included criminal damage, harassment and indecent exposure
Filer-Hobbs was jailed at Northampton Magistrates' CourtFiler-Hobbs was jailed at Northampton Magistrates' Court
Filer-Hobbs was jailed at Northampton Magistrates' Court

A serial jailbird is back behind bars for a fourth time in less than two years after admitting stealing booze and chocolate from two stores in Northampton.

Grant Christopher Daniel Filer-Hobbs admitted taking a £35 bottle of gin from Marks & Spencer on February 12 this year and three Reese’s eggs, a Milky Bar egg, two wafers and two Red Bull cans worth £9.55 from a local Spar the following day. But the 36-year-old, of Castle Street in the town, committed those crimes while he still had a suspended sentence hanging over him after magistrates spared him another jail term for criminal damage to a car seat.

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This time, however, Filer-Hobbs was sentenced to two weeks for each of the theft offences, plus a further seven days for failing to attend appointments as part of the conditions of his early release from prison last year. Northampton magistrates also revoked the community order handed down for the criminal damage offence and replaced it with an eight-week stretch. Court documents said the offences were aggravated by the defendant’s previous record of offending.

In April 2022, this newspaper reported how Filer-Hobbs had netted a haul of goods worth more than £300 from SEVEN shoplifting trips to Home Bargains in St Peters Square and been jailed for 14 weeks.

He was also sentenced to six months in October 2021 after being caught carrying a packet of Stanley knives in the town centre — just days after he had been released on licence following a 22-week sentence for harassment, spitting at a police officer and indecent exposure.