15/06/2026
SENTENCED | A persistent Hereford shoplifter has been sentenced at court in relation to 47 thefts over a three-month period.
Craig Balderson, 42, of Elm Road, Credenhill, Hereford, was convicted at Hereford Magistrates Court on Tuesday 2 June of 47 counts of theft from shop that took place between December 2025 and March this year.
Balderson’s modus operandi was to fill a shopping basket or trolley with goods at Tesco on Bewell Street in Hereford and use the self-service checkouts. However, he would only scan and pay for the cheapest item before leaving the store with all the items.
Fifteen of the thefts, totalling £521, were captured on CCTV while he admitted a further 32 thefts not captured on CCTV. Their total value is not known but he stole mainly non-essential, often luxury goods.
Balderson was arrested by PC Lee Phillips on Commercial Street on 7 March where he initially claimed there had been confusion over whether he had committed the crimes before he eventually confessed to them all.
On 2 June he was convicted on all counts and sentenced to a community order including a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 15 days, to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, to pay £520 compensation, £85 costs, and a victim surcharge of £114.
PC Lee Phillips, investigating officer, said: “Balderson’s actions demonstrated a deliberate and repeated pattern of offending.
“His conduct was planned, calculated, and motivated by greed rather than necessity. The items stolen were predominantly non essential, often luxury products.
“We reviewed hours of CCTV for this case. We hope this result shows we take retail crime seriously and we will proactively seek out and put in the work to prosecute thieves operating in Hereford city centre.”
