A PROLIFIC Barnsley shoplifter who spent Christmas behind bars has been jailed again after stealing fabric conditioner and pieces of meat.

Ashley Walmsley, 29, of Kirk View in Hoyland, was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison in December after admitting to multiple thefts in the run-up to Christmas.

However, upon his release he went on a 16-day thieving spree which saw him steal products including Easter eggs, fabric conditioner and pieces of meat.

PC Megan Leafe, who was the officer in charge of the case, said: “Walmsley hadn’t long been out of prison when he committed further raids on stores in a devastating spree that has really impacted local businesses.

“He barged past shoppers in order to flee from stores with the stolen goods and targeted shops time and time again with no thought for the welfare of workers who shouldn’t have to deal with thieves like Walmsley on their shifts.”

He was charged with six thefts from Co-op, One Stop and B and M, but his offending also saw him admit fraud and theft from a motor vehicle.

On March 3, Walmsley stole a woman’s bank card from her car before going on a £300 spending spree at a number of stores, including Tesco which he had already been banned from.

“The victim in this case was a young woman who was horrified to discover items had been stolen from her car,” she added.

“Walmsley showed absolutely no regard for his victim as he plundered through her belongings before stealing her purse which had her bank card in it.”

He has been jailed for 23 weeks after pleading guilty to the multiple crimes at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court last Thursday.

PC Leafe added: “We won’t tolerate shoplifting or theft of any kind in our local area, Walmsley was a menace to retail workers and managers and I hope the local community shares our relief in knowing he is behind bars once again.”