Champagne thieves jailed after raiding Tywyn Co-Op

A pair of serial shoplifters are now spending time behind bars after targeting the same Tywyn supermarket repeatedly in an audacious champagne-stealing spree.

Rees Vincent Pennington, 33, and Carl Joseph Ashmore, 36, both of no fixed address, faced justice at Caernarfon Magistrates’ Court this week after admitting to a string of thefts from the Co-Op on Station Road in Towyn.

The duo carried out six separate raids on the store between 7 and 9 January, walking away with 20 bottles of champagne valued at over £850. But Ashmore wasn’t finished there – he returned to the same shop on 20 January for three more alcohol thefts.

Both men pleaded guilty to all charges brought against them, and magistrates handed each of them 18-week prison sentences.

PC Gareth Edwards commented on the case, saying: “We continue to deal robustly with offenders such as Pennington and Ashmore to protect those working in the retail sector and reduce retail crime. We hope that the custodial terms imposed will reassure local businesses and their customers that we take this type of offending seriously and will do everything we can to protect them from crime.”