Thursday, November 12, 2026
A prolific shoplifter has been jailed for breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) preventing him from entering certain shops in West Lancashire and throughout the UK.
Stuart Astley was arrested at Tawd Valley Retail Park in Skelmersdale on Saturday (7th November 2026) and later charged with two counts of theft from a shop and two counts of breaching a CBO after he stole cleaning products from B&M.
In July last year, Astley, 44, of no fixed address was handed the two-year Criminal Behaviour Order which prevents him from entering:
On Monday, 9th November 2026, Astley appeared at Preston Magistrates Court and was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison.
PC Dave Fairclough from West Lancs’ Neighbourhood Policing team said: “The action taken here shows just how seriously we are tackling retail crime.
“We hope this sends a strong message that breaches of CBOs will not be tolerated and we will take robust action to protect businesses, shop staff and our communities.”
Operation Vulture is Lancashire Constabulary’s response to shoplifting across the county, backed by Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw.
The operation sees dedicated officers undertaking hotspot patrolling, increasing their visibility in targeted areas and creating strong partnerships with retailers across the county to better share intelligence, get a deeper understanding of retail crime and identify more offenders.