A repeat shoplifter has been banned from using wigs after trying to hide her identity while stealing from stores.
Thirty-three-year-old Hannah Roberts wore various types of wigs to avoid being recognized in Gloucester’s city center.
She was already banned from entering stores that are part of the City Safe Scheme, but she ignored this rule.
When store workers or security officers confronted her, Roberts would reportedly become rude and flee with stolen items.
To work around the ban, she began wearing different wigs to hide her identity – though a tattoo on her neck often revealed who she was.
A judge at Gloucestershire Magistrates’ Court issued a criminal behavior order that prevents Roberts from wearing wigs while shopping.
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The order says she can’t wear a wig or any hairpiece that’s meant to change how she looks when entering any store.
Police Constable Andy Plant from Gloucestershire Police said, “Our local stores are suffering because of these frequent shoplifters.”
“Roberts has been the most active shoplifting offender in recent months, and now we have another way to deal with her through this criminal behavior order.”
“We will keep supporting businesses in the city and surrounding areas by targeting shoplifters and getting more court orders when possible.”
Shoplifting has reached another record high, with close to 1,300 cases being reported each day last year.
A total of 469,788 shoplifting cases were recorded by police in England and Wales in the year ending June 2024, a 29% increase from the 365,173 cases recorded in the previous 12 months.
