Coventry man jailed over robberies and shop thefts
Joseph Maughan was charged over the incidents in September and October this year
A man's facing more than 7 years behind bars after a series of robberies and shop thefts in Coventry this Autumn.
22 year old Joseph Maughan of no fixed address entered a shop at Warwickshire Retail Park and tried to leave with several packs of meat - punching a member of staff in the head when he was challenged - returning weeks later and saying "remember when I punched you last time" before again stealing items.
Other incidents saw him steal £500 worth of goods from a shop on Humber Drive and assaulting another staff member at a store on Binley Road.
Maughan was traced by the Neighbourhood Crime Team and faced three robbery charges and was accused of four thefts from shops at Warwick Crown Court, where he was handed a 7 years and 4 month prison sentence.
DS Asa Morris, from the Neighbourhood Crime Team, said, "We are really pleased to have taken a very dangerous individual off the streets of Coventry with such a strong sentence.
"Not only did he steal from businesses in the city, he was prepared to commit acts of violence against anyone who tried to stop him.
"Hopefully this sentence sends out a strong message of how seriously we take this type of offending in Coventry."
A force statement said: "We know the distress and trouble persistent shop thefts can cause businesses, and we are taking action across the force.
Along with custodial sentences, we regularly apply for Criminal Behaviour Orders against people responsible for persistent thefts.
These orders allow us to prevent people from visiting places they are known to offend.
If found there, they can be arrested and brought back before the courts.
We made 1,272 arrests for shop thefts in the first four months of 2025, a significant increase on the same period in 2023.
During the first quarter of 2025, we detected more of these offences than any other force in the country."
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