Former shoplifter ran 'steal-to-order' Whatsapp group

A former shoplifter said she used to run a Whatsapp group with about 200 people asking for things they wanted her to steal.

Keeley Knowles stole up to £7,000 worth of designer goods every day and became known as "Birmingham's most prolific shoplifter".

The 43-year-old said she always knew what she was doing was wrong, but needed the money to fund her heroin addiction.

"Handbags, perfumes, sunglasses, anything that you look at and think that's got a stupid price tag is what I went for," she said.

Knowles, from Telford, Shropshire, who went to prison 28 times, said most of what she shoplifted was "ordered".

"The rest of it was first come first serve. I'd put a photo of [the item] up as I got on the train to come and it would be gone within minutes.

"The money had already been transferred before I got home."

She added that is was a lifestyle she chose for 25 years, but said she never became numb to the severity of her actions.

"It really annoys me when people say 'you get a buzz out of it', no, as you're walking to the door everyone gets that fear," Knowles said.

"I chose shoplifting because it was the most moral crime I could choose. I wasn't physically hurting anyone or violating anyone's home, but it's not victimless," she added.

Knowles spoke out about her experience after a BBC crew filmed shoplifters in Greggs as they raided a fridge at the Bearwood branch.

She said the high street bakery and fast food chain was "seen as a free for all".

"It's not just shoplifters like me...I've stood in the queue and watched men in their work outfits [shoplift], I've watched a nurse take stuff.

"It's a standard, you go in Greggs and see people reach in the fridge and it goes straight in their jacket or their handbag.

"It's just greed," Knowles said.

Greggs said it takes the industry-wide problem of shoplifting "extremely seriously", has enhanced security measures across its outlets and works closely with police.

The former shoplifter credited her recovery to support she received from the Offending 2 Recovery scheme run by West Midlands Police, which offered her free, tailored support focused on treating addiction to break the link between crime.

"I'd never been clean in 29 years, instead of sending me to jail for the 29th time, money was spent on helping me.

"My life is amazing now," she said.

Knowles, who has been clean for two and a half years and carries out outreach work with drug users, claimed addiction was the "root cause" of shoplifting.

She added that 70% of offences are committed by people struggling with addiction to heroin and crack cocaine and that they need more support.

She said helping those who were struggling would be a "massive start" towards tackling the problem.

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