WISBECH: Magistrates slap three year town centre ban on these three shop lifters

BY ELAINE KING

THE shop keepers of Wisbech are looking forward to a better Christmas, after magistrates today slapped an ASBO on three prolific shop lifters - who have almost 50 theft convictions between them.

Under the three year order, brothers James Ladds, 29, and Gary Ladds, 24, and 24-year-old Liam Green are banned from the main shopping areas of Wisbech.

Presiding magistrate Linda Clarke said the ASBO was necessary "for the protection of people in the locality."

Fenland magistrates were told that James Ladds threatened a security officer from the Horsefair shopping centre after being escorted from the Somerfield store with his brother and Green; he swore at police, attempted to steal three purses from the Brantano store, damaged a phone belonging to Brantano, stole meat from Farm Foods, and stole an inflatable paddling pool from Woolworths,

Gary Ladds - currently serving a jail sentence -- stole a socket set from Halfords, attempted to steal flip-flops from Brantano, was verbally abusive to staff at Farm Foods and stole meat from the shop;

Green, of Storbeck Road, Wisbech, had stolen items from Peacocks on three occasions, and stolen toys from Woolworths. All three men stole a tool kit from Halfords and stole a mobile phone from Tesco.

Under the order, the men are banned from all Wisbech town centre and Cromwell Road Retail Park, as defined on a map, between 8am and 8pm.

They are also forbidden from entering any shop in the exclusion areas when attending the probation office, Addaction or the bus station.

The Ladds brothers, of Kinderley Road, Wisbech, must not associate with Green, and he must not associate with them, between the hours of 8am and 8pm.

The Ladds brothers are further banned from abusing or threatening any person within Cambridgeshire.