A PERSISTENT shoplifter whose latest crime cut short a police pop-up surgery in York city centre has been jailed for four months.

PC Mark Grimes and PCSO Grenville Dowson, of York City Neighbourhood Policing Team, were meeting members of the public at a coffee shop in Market Street while Gareth Gowlett, 38, was stealing cosmetics from Boots in Kings Square.

As soon as they heard what he was doing, they left their pop-up surgery and with help from store staff and Street Rangers, arrested him in Feasegate at 11.10am on Wednesday.

York magistrate Richard Goodacre, sitting with a colleague, told Gowlett: “You are a persistent thief. The people and retailers of this city need protection from your actions and previous community penalties have been tried and failed.”

PC Grimes said after the arrest: “Of course being able to set up in businesses in the heart of the city also means we are often in the right place at the right time to respond to any incidents.

“I hope we didn’t disappoint too many people by having to cut short the surgery on this occasion, but rest assured we’ll be hosting many more events in the weeks ahead.”

Magistrates heard Gowlett has a long record for dishonesty and was on court bail at the time awaiting trial for six other shop thefts, which he had previously denied.

Gowlett, of Haughton Road, Clifton, changed his plea to guilty on the six charges listed for trial, and admitted the Boots theft and two more thefts.

Martin Butterworth, prosecuting, said together the items stolen totalled £2,000, some stolen with an accomplice.

Gowlett was also on a community order for two other thefts, which magistrates revoked and gave him 16 weeks for all 11 offences.

For him, Sally Howard said he couldn’t remember some of the offences “because of the personal circumstances existing at the time”.

Gowlett was taking heroin and cocaine and was on prescription medication for back pain. He was also taking Valium he had bought on the streets.

In December, his father had died and he had not been able to attend his funeral “for reasons beyond his control”.