Aldi thief arrested following police hunt for woman who gave fake name after stealing £200 worth of shopping

A woman who stole over £200 worth of goods from Aldi has been arrested after she gave police officers a false name.

The thief was wanted by Cheshire Police after she was caught shoplifting from the store in Warrington, at Aldi Bankside.

After issuing a CCTV appeal in December last year to try and locate the suspect, officers finally caught the woman in Liverpool this week.

They first approached her as she was acting suspiciously, and when questioned, she gave a false name.

The woman later revealed her true identity and officers discovered that she was the individual wanted for the Aldi Bankside theft.

She has since been charged and will face the shoplifting allegation before magistrates.

Warrington Police said: “On Tuesday, an officer from Merseyside Police had cause to speak to a woman in Liverpool city centre.

“The officer believed she was acting suspiciously, and he eventually found her hiding behind stock in a shop.

“After trying to give the officer false details, her identity was soon established – along with the reason for her reluctance to engage.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

• Sainsbury’s customers left terrified after ‘intimidating’ masked shoplifting raids
• Police officer steals steak and cheese on brazen Lidl shoplifting spree
• Tesco takes drastic action with advent calendars costing just £2 amid shoplifting spree

“She had been circulated as wanted by Warrington town centre beat team for an alleged £200 ‘trolley push-out’ theft from Aldi Bankside in December 2023.

“She was arrested and brought back to Cheshire to be dealt with, and she has since been charged and bailed to appear in court.”

Last week, a police officer pleaded guilty to stealing £30 worth of goods from Lidl whilst he was off-duty.

Christopher Spence, a constable of Devon and Cornwall Police, walked around the supermarket placing items from the shelves into his rucksack.

The 44-year-old then went to the self-checkout, however only paid for one item – a loaf of bread – before walking out.

He left the store without paying for a piece of steak, crisps, nuts, a block of cheese, two bottles of drink and four Easter treat bags.

Last week, the 44-year-old pleaded guilty to a charge of theft before Exeter Crown Court.

He is subject to misconduct proceedings within the force and has been suspended from duty since his arrest.

Shoplifting across England and Wales surged by 26 per cent last year, reaching 7.1 crimes per 1,000 people.

However, business owners warn many incidents go unreported to police, suggesting these figures significantly understate the true scale of the problem.