
A shoplifter has been jailed and banned from shops in the city centre and other parts of Lancaster.
James Donnelly, of Crossdale Square in Lancaster, was imprisoned for 32 weeks after being found guilty of four shopliftings, one battery assault and three breaches of a restraining order.
A court heard that Donnelly continued to target a specific retail shop in the city, stealing from them on three occasions over three days in November 2024 and on one occasion pushed a female shop keeper out of the way to make his escape.
Donnelly had previously, on October 11 2024, been given a restraining order from the same court to protect the members of staff from the shop after he also threatened to attack them in the past with a knife.
A Criminal Behaviour Order was also issued for three years on Donnelly, prohibiting him from entering any store within Lancaster city centre, as well as the Spar on Greaves Road, the Co-Op on Quernmore Road and Bargain Booze on Lentworth Drive for any reason.