A ‘brazen’ shoplifter has landed a wig ban after a three-week rampage, including a dogfood raid when she tried to hide her identity with fake hair
A serial thief has been banned from wearing wigs in shops after a three-week shoplifting spree that landed her in jail.
Rachael Cole, 44, admitted four counts of theft at Basingstoke Magistrates Court last week. She was jailed for 36 weeks and on her release will face a two-year criminal behaviour order, stopping her from wearing a wig, hairpiece, or any face covering that conceals her appearance when entering a shop.
She has also been banned from every Sainsbury’s and Tesco store in the UK, as well as the B&M store in Bordon, after “repeatedly and brazenly” robbing local businesses.
East Hampshire Inspector Matt Wake said: “Cole repeatedly and brazenly steals from local businesses, even going as far as to making a poor attempt at disguising herself with a wig to try and deceive police and shop owners.”
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said Cole, from Whitehill, was charged with stealing £964 worth of goods from shops in Hook and Liphook between 10 November and 1 December.
The force said on one occasion she wore a wig to disguise herself as she took seven bags of dog food from Sainsbury’s in Liphook.
Among the restrictions, she must place any items for purchase in a basket or trolley until they are paid for. If asked to leave a shop in Hampshire or Surrey, she must do so straight away, without using aggressive or abusive language. She also cannot return to the shop within the same day.
“Where shoplifting is reported to us, we make every effort to identify and arrest offenders, and use other tactics such as applying for CBOs to limit re-offending,” said Inspector Wake.
Cole’s crimes come amid a surge in shoplifting, with thieves also spending longer behind bars, according to an exclusive Daily Star Sunday investigation. The probe found 44,300 convictions in the year to June 2025.
Cases climbed from 35,300 a year earlier to approach the peak of 44,700 convictions in the year ending June 2018. The number of thieves being jailed is also rising with 25% of those convicted sent to jail in 2018 compared with 27% in the year to June 2025.
Emmeline Taylor, professor of criminology at City, University of London, said: “We’re seeing record numbers sent to prison. Yet the underlying drivers of offending remain stubbornly unchanged.
“A short custodial sentence does little to address addiction or poverty. Prison is a revolving door that fails to break the cycle of crime. These offenders need rehabilitation which is not only cheaper to the public purse but more effective.”
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