Greggs thief banned from every UK store after raiding same fridge 7 times

A thief has been banned from every in England and Wales after targeting the same branch seven times. Patrick Verry, 33, of no fixed address, is forbidden from entering any of the bakery chain's branches after a court order brought by .

He was caught red-handed last week by Met Police officers inside a Greggs in Wood Green, North London, after raiding the bakery seven times. Verry was arrested and appeared before Highbury Magistrates' Court the next day where he admitted to six counts of theft from the outlet.

The Met described him as one of London's "most prolific shoplifters". The ban from every Greggs outlet aims to protect staff and customers.

News of the ban comes amid a Met Police crackdown on retail crime amid soaring shoplifting incidents across the country.

Chief Inspector Rav Pathania, the Met's lead on tackling retail crime, said: "The Met is focused on tackling the most prolific shoplifters like Wright and Verry. They cause fear to retail workers and their offending has a negative impact on communities.

"We continue to work with local business owners to investigate reports of shoplifting, understand concerns and use different tactics to crackdown, including targeted operations and regular patrols."

Greggs continues to battle rising shoplifting across its shops, with the business confirming earlier this week that it has put sandwiches and drinks behind counters in some of its stores as a deterrent.

The bakery chain typically displays products in self-service fridges, but it has due to a spate of thefts.

Boss Roisin Currie said there is a "significant" cost caused by thefts in some areas, driving the company to launch security initiatives, which also include body-worn cameras.

Meanwhile, another man has been banned from entering any Sainsbury's, Boots and Co-op in England and Wales for three years.

Winston Wright, 44, of Lewisham, Southeast London, pleaded guilty to eight counts of shoplifting and one count of commercial burglary at Croydon Magistrates Court earlier this month.

He was given a Criminal Behaviour Order banning him from those retailers and can no longer enter the Royal Borough of Greenwich for three years. He was also jailed for three months and fined £200, according to the Met Police.

Wright was stopped in his tracks after officers gathered CCTV from stores which helped identify him as the culprit. He was stopped in Deptford High Street on March 20 by a PCSO who recognised him.

Earlier this month it emerged that the number of shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales in a year passed half a million for the first time.

A total of 516,971 offences were logged by forces in 2024, up 20% from 429,873 in 2023. The figure is the highest since current police recording practices began in the year to March 2003, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).