A 37-YEAR-OLD man from Barry with a long series of previous convictions for shoplifting has been handed a suspended jail sentence after he admitted stealing more than £100 worth of groceries in a single day.
Matthew Baxter Hatherill appeared at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court where he pleaded guilty to the shoplifting offences that took place on 7th June.
Hatherill stole £34.75 worth of food from a Co-op supermarket and items valued at £68.35 from a One Stop shop.
Magistrates gave Hatherill a six-week prison sentence for each offence, suspended for 12 months, and he was ordered to pay compensation for the value of the stolen goods.
Hatherill was told by magistrates that his offences were serious enough to warrant a custodial sentence in light of his previous convictions, his failure to comply with court orders, and the fact that the recent offences were committed while he was subject to a community order.
Magistrates decided against imposing an immediate prison sentence after hearing there was a “realistic chance of rehabilitation”.
The court heard he was about to begin appointments related to a drug rehabilitation requirement following an earlier community sentence. Hatherill was told that if he reoffends or breaches the terms of the order during the next 12 months, he risks being sent to prison to serve his sentence.
In March 2025, Hatherill received a 41-week custodial sentence, of which he went to immediate prison for eight weeks, after he stole three chocolate Easter eggs from the Tesco on Holton Road with a total value of £60, and he returned to the store days later where he took a large number of Cadbury chocolate bars with a combined value of £120. He also stole three joints of meat worth £90 from Morrisons.
Last August, Hatherill was back in court where he was handed an eight-week prison sentence after he admitted stealing perfume worth £157.96 from Boots in Barry.
Shortly before Christmas, Hatherill received an eight-week jail term after he pleaded guilty to three counts of theft from a shop.
Hatherill has earlier convictions for possession of cannabis, possession of amphetamine and driving without insurance.
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