Houssam El-Kassem (Image: Gwent Police)
Last Updated: 1 minute ago
A serial shoplifter has been sentenced to 30 weeks in prison after his latest theft triggered the activation of a suspended sentence he had received only weeks earlier.
Houssam El-Kassem, 42, of Commercial Road, Newport, appeared before Newport Magistrates’ Court where he admitted all charges against him.
Earlier offending
El-Kassem had been given a suspended sentence in April following a spate of thefts from shops across Newport.
Those offences saw him steal a Fred Perry hoodie from JD Sports, take clothing valued at £295 from River Island, remove coffee worth £47.92 from B&M, and help himself to meat worth £28 and laundry products valued at £13.10 from Tesco Express.
Breaching the order
Prosecutor Alex Dubljevic told the court that on May 23, El-Kassem stole a pair of shoes worth £210 from TK Maxx in Newport – putting him in breach of the suspended sentence he had been handed the previous month.
Sentence
El-Kassem, who was represented by Alan Jones, pleaded guilty to all of the offences.
District Judge Sophie Toms jailed him for 30 weeks and ordered him to pay £210 in compensation to TK Maxx.
