Man jailed after stealing nearly £20,000 worth of items from Cheltenham shops

A man has been jailed after he stole nearly £20,000 worth of items from shops in Cheltenham earlier this year (2024).

Daniel Hayward, aged 40 and of Evesham Road in Cheltenham, was sentenced to 16 months in prison after appearing at Gloucester Crown Court on Thursday 25 July.

Hayward had targeted a number of shops in the town centre stealing items such as sunglasses, fragrances and electronics.

In one shoplifting spree Hayward stole 21 pairs of sunglasses, valued at £10,090 from Boots. He put the sunglasses into a sports bag and left the shop after making no attempts to pay for the items.

He went on to target the same shop a month later using a keypad to enter via the staff entrance. Once inside he stole 18 pair of sunglasses valued at £4,750. It is unknown how Hayward knew the security code.

Other incidents saw Hayward target Boots and HMV in February and March before stealing four gift sets, three pairs of headphones and candles.

Hayward also targeted department store John Lewis stealing three fragrances on one occasion and 15 pairs of glasses valued at £3,488 on another.

On another day Hayward entered WHSmith while in possession of a suitcase before filling it with £300 worth of Lego and walking out.

PC Will Hayes from the Cheltenham Neighbourhood Policing Team said: "Shoplifting is not a victimless crime. It deeply affects our local businesses and the community as a whole.

"The sentencing of Hayward sends a clear message that, whilst we would have hoped for a longer prison term, we will not tolerate shoplifting in Cheltenham.

"We remain committed to working closely with local businesses to ensure the town centre remains a safe and welcoming place for everyone."

In a Business Impact Statement an employee of one of the shops targeted by Hayward said: "Retail at times is a thankless task however I am proud of what I do and therefore when we have individuals targeting our store and stealing from us, it causes a huge amount of emotional stress, anxiety, fear, pressure, worry and so much more.

"We are meant to be working in a safe environment when open, even more so when we are closed however since the burglary I feel incredibly unnerved to know Hayward has been wandering around our store before we were open.

"I have been on edge ever since as have a lot of the staff. Fearful of who may be lurking around the corner. How did he get the code? Has he been watching us? What else is he capable of?

"Hayward has targeted our store on a number of occasions and whilst he isn’t abusive like some offenders are, the distress it causes staff and the chain reaction it has on us is significant."