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Poppy tin thief's appeal fails

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A man who stole poppy collection tins from shops has failed to convince appeal judges his jail term was too harsh.

Gareth Ellis Smith and two accomplices stole Royal British Legion collection boxes from several shops in the run-up to Remembrance Day last year.

The 29-year-old, of Waterside Close, Loughborough, was jailed for two years at Leicester Crown Court in December, after admitting six thefts.

He challenged his sentence at London's Criminal Appeal Court on Thursday, with his lawyers arguing it was "too long" for his crimes.

However, three of the country's most senior judges, who said the term was not excessive.

The court heard Smith, along with his accomplices, targeted poppy tins in shops and supermarkets across Leicestershire.

On one occasion, the gang used a child to hide what they were doing as one of them cut a security cord and Smith removed the box.

Their targets included the Co-op store in Ashby, a branch of Asda in Shepshed, Morrisons, in Melton, and Costcutter, in Loughborough.

The gang also stole alcohol and razors.

Smith separately also shoplifted £100 of suntan lotion from a branch of Boots in Loughborough.

The court heard Smith has a long history of substance abuse and has previous convictions relating to 78 offences, including theft, shoplifting and theft from dwellings.

Dismissing his appeal, Lord Justice Pitchford said there could be no criticism of the sentence, given Smith's history of offending and the serious nature of the thefts.

Sitting with Mr Justice Roderick Evans and Mr Justice Turner, he said: "The defendants committed a large number of thefts, including thefts of a number of charity boxes, which were displayed for Remembrance Sunday.

"In our judgment, the sentence was not excessive in all the circumstances of the offending."

Poppy tin thief's appeal fails


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