A burglar’s look-out was identified from his distinctive limp, a court heard.
Lewis Thompson, 35, was caught on CCTV camera acting as the look-out for the as-yet-unidentified burglar who broke into the Co-op store in Walton Street on July 9.
He was also part of a group when, on January 7, they forced a magnetic-type lock to get into an office on Norfolk Street, making off with parcels.
Again acting with others, the thief stole perfumes worth hundreds of pounds from John Lewis in shoplifting raids at the Westgate Centre store in June and July.
On July 7, he stole £48-worth of alcohol from Tesco in Cowley Road. And a fortnight later, on July 19, he lifted alcohol worth £77 from the Sainsbury’s superstore in Heyford Hill.
Thompson, of Luther Street, Oxford, pleaded guilty to burglary and theft.
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Mitigating, Angela Porter said there was ‘little sophistication’ in what her client had done. Thompson had suffered a serious leg injury in the past, which left him with a limp. That, together with the ‘distinctive’ clothing he wore during the burglaries, meant he was easily identified from the CCTV.
The defendant had expressed a willingness to work with various organisations to address the addictions that had held him back in the past. “A drug rehabilitation requirement is not easy and it takes time,” Ms Porter said.
The magistrates imposed a 12 month community order. Thompson must wear a GPS tag for six months and was barred for six months from the business premises he targeted.
He must pay £370 in compensation and a £114 victim surcharge.
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