Chichester man who smashed jar of truffle mayonnaise in Marks and Spencer is jailed

On December 15, Jonathan Turner of Duncan Road, Chichester was challenged by staff in East Street's Marks and Spencer by staff who believed he was drunk.

When staff asked him to leave he grabbed the £2.50 condiment off the shelf and smashed it on the floor of the shop before slipping on the jar's contents.

He then hit a member of staff in the face before leaving the store.

Turner was located by police nearby and arrested.

Unemployed Turner was remanded in custody to appear before Crawley Magistrates’ Court on December 17, charged with criminal damage and assault.

He pleaded guilty to both offences, and was ordered to pay £2.50 compensation to Marks and Spencer, and £75 compensation to the member of staff he assaulted.

While at court, another outstanding case was dealt with. This related to a burglary at One Stop, in St Paul’s Road, Chichester, on 14 August, whereby a quantity of alcohol and scratch cards were stolen.

Again, Turner pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to 12 weeks’ imprisonment for these offences.

However, he was already serving a 12 week suspended sentence for another burglary and obstructing police in Chichester on February 25. This was activated, meaning he was sentenced to a total of 24 weeks’ imprisonment.

Acting prevention sergeant Amy McAlees said: “Turner has a significant history of criminal activity including theft, burglary, violence, antisocial behaviour and more. It was important we pursued these two cases – working closely with Chichester Neighbourhood Policing Team, Chichester Neighbourhood Response Team and Chichester Criminal Investigations Department – which were committed while he was subject to a suspended sentence, meaning he will now spend several weeks behind bars.

“This conviction demonstrates that these types of offences will not be tolerated, and we will do all we can to protect the businesses in our community, and seek justice against those who continue to commit crime in our county.”

To find out how to protect your business, see our crime prevention pages here.