A man has been jailed after police in Chippenham uncovered a van packed with stolen goods worth more than £4,000.
Officers were called to Sainsbury’s on Bath Road on 14th October after staff reported a man behaving suspiciously at the tills. He was seen leaving the store with around £500 worth of unpaid items, including chocolate, meat, and seasonal decorations.
Asa Manders, 49, from Cromhall near Bristol, was arrested at the scene. A search later revealed a Mercedes box van parked nearby containing a large quantity of alcohol and food, believed to have been stolen from other stores.
Manders appeared before Swindon Magistrates’ Court the following day, where he pleaded guilty to theft and was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison.
Police described him as a “prolific offender” and said the discovery was the result of quick work by local response officers.