A repeat shoplifter who left a knife in a shop he stole from has been jailed.

On Sunday afternoon (April 28), Soma Deasley, 36, entered OneStop in St Pauls Road, New England, concealed wine and confectionary in a rucksack and left the shop without attempting to pay.

A customer alerted staff to a knife in the aisle Deasley had just left, and CCTV footage showed the knife fall out of his trousers when he put his bag on his back and walked out.

Police were called and officers carried out a search of the nearby area, where they found him turning onto Lincoln Road from St Pauls Road on a bike and arrested him on suspicion of theft from a shop and being possession of an offensive weapon.

Deasley, of no fixed address, was later charged with possession of a knife, three counts of theft from a shop – after he was found to have stolen a total of £147.20 worth of laundry products from OneStop in Parnwell on two occasions earlier in the month – and possession of crack cocaine after two white wraps were found on him upon arrest.

He appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Monday (April 29), where he was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison and has been ordered to pay £150 in compensation to OneStop after admitting all offences.

PC Bradley Spencer, who investigated, said: “Thanks to the customer and shop staff for alerting us to the knife, we were able to seize it and arrest Deasley quickly.

“Carrying a knife is an offence and is an issue that we are continually tackling, and I encourage anyone to report any concerns to us around someone who may be carrying a weapon.”

Anyone with concerns or information about someone who carries a weapon can report via the force’s dedicated weapons information webpage