Gym locker thief jailed after Crimewatch appearance

A prolific thief has been jailed after an appeal for information regarding his whereabouts on Crimewatch Roadshow led to his arrest.

James Dennis, 28, of Sturge Avenue, Walthamstow, London (E17), was wanted by the City of London Police for five counts of theft after he broke into a number of gym lockers and stole people’s bank cards, designer watches and wallets. His image was circulated on the BBC’s Crimewatch Roadshow programme on Thursday 14 March 2019 and a number of people called in with information that led to Dennis’ arrest in Colindale on 30 April 2019.

Dennis appeared at the City of London Magistrates Court the following day and pleaded guilty to all offences. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison on Tuesday 18 June 2019 at Inner London Crown Court.

Detective Constable Syed Shah, from the City of London Police, said:

“Dennis showed a complete disregard for the law when he deliberately targeted premises in the City to steal personal items of the highest value.

“Thanks to the public coming forward with information regarding his whereabouts, we were able to successfully arrest, charge and prosecute Dennis, and he will now have to reflect on his actions from inside a cell.”