A woman from Northwich, now barred from the heart of Chester for five years, stands at the meeting point of two troubles that often travel together: the quiet theft of goods from shops and the forced takeover of the homes of people who had little defence against it. The court's order draws a line around her movements, reaching into the sheltered and supported housing where those vulnerable residents live, so that the protection of the town's most exposed people is written into the terms of her freedom. Whether a boundary of this kind can change a pattern of conduct is a question that only the
Prolific shoplifter Donna Stewart banned from Chester city centre for five years
Vulnerable residents had their homes taken over and were forced to live in fear of violence, according to police.
A woman from Northwich, now barred from the heart of Chester for five years, stands at the meeting point of two troubles that often travel together: the quiet theft of goods from shops and the forced takeover of the homes of people who had little defence against it. The court's order draws a line around her movements, reaching into the sheltered and supported housing where those vulnerable residents live, so that the protection of the town's most exposed people is written into the terms of her freedom. Whether a boundary of this kind can change a pattern of conduct is a question that only the years ahead will answer.
On Tuesday, November 4, Donna Stewart, 43, of Northwich, appeared at Chester Magistrates' Court and left with a five-year criminal behaviour order. It bars her from Chester city centre until November 2030 and keeps her out of several shared residences, including sheltered housing and supported living accommodation.
Police told the court that Stewart had repeatedly taken high-value goods, such as meat and beauty products, from Chester retailers without paying. Officers describe her as a prolific shoplifter.
The case also rested on a second strand of conduct away from the shops. Stewart was the subject of 11 partial and full closure orders, which police link to her forcing her way into the homes of vulnerable people and using them for drug-related and antisocial behaviour with her associates.
Inspector James Wilson of Chester's Neighbourhood Team said those residents lived in fear of violence while she and her group controlled their homes. He also pointed to the drain on policing resources her conduct had caused, and he thanked the court for the order, which he expects to curb her offending and protect the most vulnerable people in the community.
A breach would bring a substantial fine or a prison sentence. The order runs for the full five years, and its success will be measured both in Chester's shops and in the housing it now places out of her reach.
On Tuesday, November 4, Donna Stewart, 43, of Church Road, Northwich, stood in Chester Magistrates' Court and was handed a five-year criminal behaviour order. It bars her from Chester city centre until November 2030, and it also keeps her out of several multiple-occupancy residences, including sheltered housing and supported living accommodation.
The case rested on evidence submitted by police. Officers told the court that Stewart had been targeting retailers across Chester, taking high-value items such as meat and beauty products and making no attempt to pay for them. Police describe her as a prolific shoplifter.
The court also heard about a second strand of her behaviour, one that took place away from the shops. Stewart was the subject of 11 partial and full closure orders. According to police, those orders came directly from her targeting vulnerable people: forcing her way into their homes and using the properties for drug-related and anti-social behaviour, carried out by her and her associates.
That is why the ban extends beyond the retail streets. The housing it covers, such as sheltered and supported living accommodation, is the kind of place where the people police say she exploited tend to live.
Inspector James Wilson, of Chester Local Policing Unit's Neighbourhood Team, said Stewart had been a consistent problem for Chester retailers and for vulnerable people in the surrounding area. In his account, those residents were forced to live in fear of violence when she and her group took over their homes.
Wilson also pointed to the cost to the force. Her persistent poor behaviour, he said, had regularly pulled policing resources in her direction, and he thanked the courts for imposing the order. He said he expected it to significantly affect her frequent criminality and to protect the most vulnerable members of Chester's communities from further harm or distress.
The order carries consequences if it is broken. Stewart would face a substantial fine or even a prison sentence for a breach. It will run for the full five years, so the test of whether it works will come over that period, in the shops of Chester and in the shared housing it now puts off limits to her.
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Crime & Justice