Prolific shoplifter who stole Easter eggs and pet meals regardless of ban from Co-op retailer is jailed after officers discovered him ‘hiding inside base of a divan mattress’

A prolific shoplifter who stole almost £3,000 worth of Easter eggs, coffee pots and pet food has been jailed.

Daniel Jones, 38, ransacked four shops in Essex despite being banned from entering any Co-op store in the country. 

His string of thefts began last April when he took £187-worth of Easter eggs and cakes from a Co-op in Witham, and ended with him stealing £123 of coffee and chilled meats from the Co-op in Greenstead, Colchester, on January 31, 2026. 

He was arrested in February after police ‘found him cowering inside the base of a divan bed’. 

Officers had visited the thief’s home as part of Operation Valuable – an initiative to increase police visits to shops which are being targeted by prolific offenders.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard this week that Jones’s crimes cost four stores a total of £2,926.73.

He admitted to 33 thefts and to ignoring a two-year criminal behaviour order which banned him from visiting any Co-op store in Essex.

A spokesperson for Essex Police said of their operation to track down shoplifters: ‘It’s a mix of high-visibility and plain-clothes patrols, plus engagement with shop staff to identify suspects and obtain CCTV footage and witness statements prior to arresting and charging them.’

Daniel Jones, 38, has been jailed after stealing almost £3,000 worth of items from stores across Essex

The items targeted by Jones were wide-ranging. On January 13 this year, he stole chilled meats from an M&S store on Ipswich Road, while also ransacking Co-ops in the east of England of coffee pots, pet food and detergents.  

Jones was jailed for a total of 12 months for the thefts and criminal behaviour order breaches, and also ordered to serve six months of a jail term imposed for previous offences, which had originally been suspended.

He was also ordered to pay a £187 victim surcharge.