Just seen Chef Anthony Worral Thompson has been given a formal warning after Not paying at a self service checkout at Tescos. He had been watched on CCTV numerous occasions not paying. Does this mean he will go to jail like the guy who took a bar of chocolate in the summer riots. Mmm.

Prison food could be his next 'book'

Maybe Porridge but doubt it because he does quite a lot of hob nobbing in the Tory party and still got a bee in his bonnet when the recession started and blaming Labour when he had to shut down a couple of his Tavernas.

[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7877289.stmHe blamed the banks[/url

True but Ive also heard him in interviews blaming Labour for the recession and weak banking reforms.

Listen to standee & robinson, it's obvious that labour caused the worldwide banking crisis

There is not a problem because he acknowledges that he needs help and psychologists agree.
Shoplifting is not his fault.
It would be foolish to treat him as a criminal.
A prison sentence would be totally inappropriate.
For goodness sake he's a likeable, roly-poly chef.
Alright .... likeable and chef might be stretching it.

I'm not sure. Did he smash his way in when it was closed, and set fire to it?

Anyway, I thought we'd already drilled into the skulls of the impervious the obvious fact that participating in looting during riots is the aggravating part of the criminal conduct for which you're punished - not just the bare act of theft itself,as in the case of the nutty chef.

3 years in a Turkish prison

I dislike him for a variety of reasons, but I see absolutely no benefit to society in a prison sentence for what he did.

Meanwhile, it does reveal how much easier it is to shoplift when stores replace staff with machines.

or not, seeing as though he got caught.

From what I read yesterday, staff in the store only became suspicious after a number of occasions – and then had a camera placed specifically to watch, which then caught him.

So how many other times – and people – had there been?

But the figures are well known. Stores have fully automated stock control systems and so they know, whenever they take stock, exactly how much has walked. It's factored in the prices, and is, seemingly also predictable within 5%.

The thinking behind open plan shops is precisely to tempt and encourage every customer by surrounding them with stuff, all at their fingertips, without obstruction, tarted up and often bolstered with seductive displays and price offers, the whole point is to make the stuff irresistible to pick up. That works. They want you to want it. It's just that this temptation process does not discriminate between bona fide purchasers, and those who can't or won't pay. Most will also pay, but they are also paying a small premium to pay for the stuff the dishonest will nick.

Thats all perfectly true.

Its also true that they do protect higher value goods such as bottle of spirits with tags that cannot be taken through the self service machines, so its a perfectly reasonable conclusion that most goods in a supermarket are not of sufficient value to justify the extra expense of security tagging, hence the acceptance of pilfering.


On a slightly different subject, listening to the AWT case on the radio it would appear that he has accepted a police caution to avoid a court appearance and criminal record - are police cautions a matter of public record in the same way that court convictions are ?

If not, then who released the information, police or Tesco's ?

Well, it's been decided by someone that it's in the public interest to know.
I think it's in the public interest to know who decided.

Jail serves three purposes.
a) Protection of the public for the duration of the sentence.
b) Deterring the crime.
c) Punishment.

a) is unnecessary, b) hasn't worked and c) is too harsh for this instance.

EDIT ... whoops, I missed out d) Rehabilitation ... which he's getting anyway.

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition ...

Or Worrall-Thompson's publicist, on the basis that there's no such thing as bad publicity particularly given he's "seeking help" for this terrible affliction of forgetting he has to pay for stuff like the rest of us.

Can I see another stint in the Jungle next autumn. Maybe Im cynical but when a so called celebrity gets into a spot of bother, whether its serious or not so serious, they get a stint in the Priory, or other stress related medication and then get back on screen as though nothings happened, but when its mister or misses average the punnishment is more.

Don't worry Minty, he won't get banged up for shoplifting, thats reserved for those who do it through hunger and poverty.

Or in a bit of widespread looting. Which does – as noted earlier – point to different approaches to law and order for different people.

They are public info, papers usually get lists of them under FIA requests. I reckon that there is a long list of people from the supermarket through to the police station who would tip the wink to the press where there's a celeb involved.

Indeed. had AWT been a little old lady, or a kid pilfering, the chances are high that the police would not have turned out. He may well have received worse treatment just because of who he is.

the fact that in many cases the police are not interested is well known, the system has gradually moved well down the road to de-criminalising shoplifting, and many officers view it as basically a civil matter. See for example the comments of the CE of Iceland, [url=http://www.metro.co.uk/news/724476-iceland-boss-we-prefer-armed-robbers-to-shoplifters Malcolm Walker[/url

=#BF0000
Writing in Retail Week, Mr Walker said:
"Police would respond to a call about a potentially dangerous robbery whereas the "little old lady who steals a packet of cheese or the kids who nick a few sweets" would not warrant it
"That's because petty shoplifting has been decriminalised - it's not really a crime at all, is it? "No one suffers, the shop can afford it.
"It sounds absurd, but the weekly armed robbery is much less of a problem for us... one armed robbery is better than the daily grind of constant aggravation

"It's victimless. The police aren't interested and usually don't turn up."
Arrest a celebrity, though, and the press and the rozzers aill likely soon be there in force.

I'm sure you've got some links to examples of this

Quote ="Ferocious Aardvark"I'm sure you've got some links to examples of this'" www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/lewgr ... ermarkets/ What was it AWT stole again ! I wouldn't mind betting its happened a few times in the UK to people less well off than some fat, rich so-called celebrity

Quote ="Ferocious Aardvark"I'm sure you've got some links to examples of this'" www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/lewgr ... ermarkets/ What was it AWT stole again ! I wouldn't mind betting its happened a few times in the UK to people less well off than some fat, rich so-called celebrity

Of what relevance is your comment that he is fat?

I think he is suggesting that AWT ought to steal less food.
Or, if he's going to continue, that he ought to steal healthier options.