A shop thief has been jailed after targeting an Oldbury store more than a dozen times.

In just over one month, Mohammed Sufiyan Khan, aged 31 targeted a supermarket on Freeth Street 16 times, stealing around £3,000 of items.

He also stole items from a supermarket on Wednesbury Oak Road, Tipton on 7 April and a supermarket on Wallows Lane, Walsall on 4 January.

His crime spree started on 8 March, where he entered the store and stole more than £100 of alcohol.

On Saturday 11 April, after stealing more alcohol, Khan was detained by a security guard, who was then further assaulted by Khan and the stolen goods were retrieved. We responded and arrested him. Following a search, a lock knife was also found in Khan’s waistband.

He was charged with 17 counts of shop theft, possession of a knife and assault.

He appeared at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court last week and was sentenced to 36 weeks in prison.

Sgt Jason Walters, Sandwell South Retail Crime Team, said: “Khan not only stole thousands of pounds of items from one specific store, but when he was arrested was also found to be in possession of a knife.

“Khan had complete disregard for the law and made the lives of the supermarket staff a misery.

“This behaviour will not be tolerated, and we will continue to prosecute offenders.”

Sandwell South has a dedicated retail crime team that focuses on bringing prolific offenders to justice. The team works closely with store security, retailers and partner agencies to keep the community safe.

For crime prevention advice on shop theft visit: Securing your shop from shoplifters | Crime Prevention | West Midlands Police