A 45-year-old man has been jailed for six months following a series of shoplifting offences in Fleet, Hampshire. Christopher Carrigan was sentenced at Basingstoke Magistrates Court on 1 April 2026 after pleading guilty to five counts of theft from a shop.
Between October 2025 and January 2026, Carrigan targeted three retail stores in the town, stealing alcohol, meat, and household items with a total value of £665.
This case follows a trend of increasing retail crime in the area. Local data shows that shoplifting reports in Fleet rose by 59% over the past three years. In the 12 months leading up to January 2026, there were 136 recorded incidents, resulting in a local crime rate of 4.53 reports per 1,000 people.
To combat this, Hampshire Constabulary has been utilising the UK Partners Against Crime (UKPAC) app. Launched in June 2025 by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Donna Jones, the tool allows businesses to share information and evidence. Since its introduction, the app has contributed to 66 convictions and over 45 years of custodial sentences for shoplifters across the region.
The sentencing of Carrigan is the latest in a series of legal actions against shoplifters in the town, marking at least the third such case to conclude in Fleet over the past five months.
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