Prolific Easter egg thief who was found by police ‘cowering inside base of divan bed’ jailed

A prolific thief who stole Easter eggs, coffee pots and pet food has been jailed.

Daniel Jones, 38, was sentenced to 18 months in prison at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday.

Jones, of Spruce Avenue, Colchester, admitted 33 thefts and breached a two-year criminal behavior order 31 times, banning him from all Essex Co-op stores.

Police said he was arrested on Feb. 6 after officers “found him cowering at the foot of the sofa bed.”

Officers visited his home as part of Operation Valuable, an initiative to increase police visits to stores targeted by prolific thieves.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “This is a mix of high visibility and plainclothes patrols, as well as interviews with store staff to identify suspects and obtain CCTV footage and witness statements before arresting and charging them.”

The court heard the total loss to the four stores targeted by Jones was £2,926.73.

Jones’s string of thefts began on April 12, 2025, when he took £187 worth of Easter eggs and cakes from the Co-op store in Spa Road, Witham, and ended on January 31, when he stole coffee and chilled meats worth £123 from the Co-op in Greenstead, Colchester.

On January 13 Jones stole chilled meat from the M&S store at the BP filling station on Ipswich Road.

He also stole coffee pots, pet food and detergents, among other household items, from East of England Co-op stores.

Jones was sentenced to a total of 12 months in prison for the theft and breach of the criminal conduct code and was also ordered to serve a six-month suspended prison sentence for previous offences.

Jones was also ordered to pay a £187 victim surcharge.