Man jailed for weeks after breaching CBO

A prolific shoplifter who had a court order banning him from entering shops in Sleaford has been jailed for eight weeks after repeatedly breaching it, as well as committing further thefts.

We know that our community look to us to prevent thefts, and our business community were especially impacted by his crimes.

So, we want to tell you how we have helped to take Damian Eastgate, 42, of Almond Walk, Sleaford off the streets.

Eastgate had been a prolific shoplifter in Sleaford for several years, and it was clear his behaviour was having a negative impact on the shops and staff working in them, many of these being private small businesses.

Our Neighbourhood Policing Team successfully applied to Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on 25 November 2021 for a Criminal Behaviour Order to prevent Eastgate from entering any retail premises in Sleaford, with the exception of Wilsons newsagent and Aldi so that he could still carry out his normal food shopping. This was granted for three years.

A CBO is a civil order designed to tackle the most serious and persistent anti-social individuals where their behaviour has brought them before a criminal court. If the CBO is breached, this is a criminal offence and a custodial sentence can be enforced, or changes can made to the order.

Eastgate then stole from Aldi and breached his CBO by entering other shops, and was arrested again.

The team collated and presented evidence to the court which enabled them to amend the CBO so he could no longer enter Aldi, to help prevent further offences being committed.

Alongside this work, the local officers met with business owners to discuss the impact of the thefts and offer crime prevention advice, and they also worked closely with the town CCTV team at North Kesteven District Council, plus partners and  support services at other agencies.

Eastgate offended again earlier this month, committing further thefts on 5, 14 and 15 October, for which he appeared at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court, last Thursday (19 October).

He was convicted of the three shop thefts and four breaches of his CBO due to entering prohibited shops, and was sentenced to eight weeks’ imprisonment.

We keep a continued watch of people who we have issued CBOs for, in partnership with North Kesteven District Council, and we proactively release their image so that members of the community have the opportunity to stay clear of their offending, and are more able to report an incident if one occurs.

Eastgate’s CBO will remain in place until 24 November, 2024.

If you have an incident you feel needs police attention, please contact us on 101.