A prolific shoplifter who stole hundreds of pounds worth of jackets from shops in Peterborough just days after being released has been sent back to prison.

On December 30, Brendan Keating, 24, entered Mountain Warehouse in Bridge Street, Peterborough City Centre, where he picked up three jackets worth £139.99 each and walked out of the shop without making payment.

The next day, he visited TK Maxx in Brotherhood Retail Park, where he picked up another jacket worth £50 and left without paying.

Keating, who had been released from prison on December 12 after serving a sentence for shoplifting offences, was caught on camera stealing clothing worth £50 from TK Maxx in Queensgate shopping centre on Tuesday morning (January 9).

CCTV operators spotted him in the city centre later that day and alerted police who, after a foot chase, arrested him in Brooke Street.

Keating, of Belvoir Way, Welland, appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (January 10) where he was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison after admitting three counts of theft from a shop.

He must also pay £419.97 in compensation to Mountain Warehouse and £50 in compensation to TK Maxx.

PC Niamh Skipworth, who investigated, said: “Shoplifting can have a huge impact on all those involved in the business community.

“When it comes to tackling shoplifting, we rely heavily on reports from businesses in order to identify prolific offenders such as Keating, so I would like to encourage shops to continue reporting incidents to us.”