Key Summary
- Teen caught for stealing cosmetics worth over £100,000 from Boots and other stores across London.
- He was caught through CCTV footage and banned from entering the shops.
- The 17-year-old apologised in court and the magistrate warned him to change before becoming an adult offender.
A 17-year-old boy faces a shopping ban from Boots and Holland & Barrett stores after getting caught for a shoplifting spree worth over £100,000.
According to the magistrates at Highbury Corner Youth Court, the boy stole large numbers of cosmetic products from the London branches of the retail companies.
He was caught in act after being identified on the CCTV camera.
Currently, he was charged with 56 counts of the crime from Boots alone, with a previous history of 15 counts of theft among which 11 was from Boots.
Magistrates were told the goods stolen in all the Boots thefts, carried out between April 2024 and December 2025, were valued at more than £100,000
Items worth £2, 415 were shoplifted from Holland & Barrett as well.
The BBC reported that the boy was charged with a one-year criminal behaviour order, a £400 compensation to Boots, and a £100 compensation to Holland & Barrett, along with a ban from entering these shops during the sentence.
During the 12-month referral order, the youth offender panel will also decide regarding his rehabilitation as well.
The youth, who turns 18 later this year, has apologised for the mistake. Magistrate Alexia Fetherstonhaugh warned that the consequences will be different in an adult court if he does not change.
