A prolific thief slashed sweets and targeted the same business three times in the campaign

A prolific criminal plagued businesses in Wakefield and Featherston as he continually stole from them.

William Webb, 43, tried to buy sweets and cigarettes with a stolen debit card during his crime spree, which also saw him target the same business three times.

Prosecutor Beatrice Allsop told Leeds Crown Court on Thursday that Webb, of Pontefract Road in Featherstone, was convicted of two thefts, four burglaries, one count of shoplifting, one count of fraud by false representation, one count of theft from a motor vehicle and one count of theft with intent to steal. She said the offenses took place between February and April this year.

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Ms Allsop said that during one of the offenses on March 8 this year, Webb stole a number of items from a man’s caravan. She said they included his wallet containing the debit card and: “The man woke up to a notification on his phone to say someone had tried to access his card. He went outside and noticed that the door was slightly ajar. The defendant and another man went to a shop at around 8am and picked out £29.26 worth of sweets, cigarettes and vapes.”

The court heard the card was declined three times and the man was notified by his bank. Webb was said to have targeted Giovanni Automobili in Wakefield three times during the campaign, with Ms Allsop saying the first burglary took place on April 6 this year. She said: “At 12.20pm a co-owner was contacted by the security system to say there had been activity at the showroom. The CCTV showed the defendant smashing the door with a brick, allowing entry.”

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The court heard Webb stole a MacBook and a CCTV monitor. During the second burglary a day later, he took more items, and during the third, he took a microwave oven, keyboards and computer mice from the building.

Ms Allsop said during his spree Webb also targeted a B&M store and Sainsbury’s. She said she had 45 previous convictions for 99 offenses – most of which were for dishonesty offences, including burglary and theft.

Mitigating, Rachel Webster told the court that Webb had pleaded guilty to the offenses at Magistrates’ Court and that he “sincerely regrets his actions and has apologized to all victims”. She added: “He says he’s a different man now that he’s been in custody and that the offenses were due to alcohol and drug habits, but he’s done his best to sort them out.”

Ms Webster said: “He has done very well since he was in custody… If he was released today, he has been informed that he has been offered shared accommodation in a hotel room with the help of the drugs team. He has a drug and alcohol addiction. Of course, in prison The pre-sentence report suggests a 12-month drug program he’s desperate to get help, he’d accept that.

The court heard Webb had previously suffered a heart attack while in prison and had to be resuscitated and is now struggling with his physical health. Ms Webster added that as a child he was abused by his parents and ordered to steal to fund his drug habit.

Judge Pema handed Webb a two-year community order, during which he will have to undergo an intensive 12-month drug rehabilitation requirement, 26 sessions of the Thinking Skills program and 25 days of rehabilitation activity.