Woman, 28, banned from every Greggs in UK after crime spree in bakery

Detailed summary

Tiffany O'Neill, 28, pleaded guilty to a total of 80 offences at Croydon Magistrates’ Court after stealing more than £2,000 worth of soft drinks from a single Greggs store

A woman who stole more than £2,000 worth of soft drinks from the same Greggs store has been spared jail despite being arrested 11 times.

Tiffany O'Neill, 28, repeatedly targeted the bakery on Electric Avenue in Brixton and was charged with 69 theft offences following a string of arrests since May.

She was handed a 26-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, after pleading guilty to a total of 80 offences at Croydon Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

The sentence means O'Neill remains in the community, prompting the Metropolitan Police to raise concerns about repeat offenders being released despite persistent criminal behaviour.

“New constraints on magistrates and judges that came into force earlier this year require a sentence of less than a year to be suspended unless very specific exceptions apply,” the force said.

It added: “The Met is highlighting this case to reiterate its continued calls for the criminal justice system to hold prolific offenders to account and prevent them from doing harm to London’s communities – whether that is by targeting businesses or individuals.”

The force said it estimated that officers have spent more than 120 hours on this single case since O’Neill’s arrest in May, including preparing case files, carrying out further arrests and attending court hearings.

At all but one court appearance in recent months she was granted bail, despite repeatedly breaching her bail conditions and returning to target the same Greggs store on Electric Avenue in Brixton.

O’Neill was initially banned from entering the London Borough of Lambeth and required to wear a GPS tag as a condition of her bail. However, despite repeated offending whilst on bail, the GPS tag was never fitted.

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