A prolific thief who stole £65 of cakes from a supermarket in three separate raids has been jailed.

Joseph Clarke nicked 12 boxes of country slices worth £22.80 from the Co-op in Church Road, Murston, near Sittingbourne, on June 7.

The following day he returned and pilfered £24 of cherry bakewells. Later the same day he stole 12 boxes of macaroons worth £18.

After reviewing CCTV at the supermarket, police tracked Clarke down in Murston Road on Monday (June 17)

The 51-year-old, of Dickson Court, Sittingbourne appeared before Medway Magistrates’ Court yesterday (June 18) where he pleaded guilty to three counts of theft.

He was jailed for 120 days and ordered to pay compensation of £64.80 to the Co-op.

Inspector Vanessa Foster said: ‘We will pursue prolific criminals relentlessly in order to protect our local business from their persistent, drug-driven thefts.

“While the stolen items in this case were not of a particularly high value, daily offences over a prolonged period can have a significant impact on the ability of these local stores to continue trading.

“Clarke admitted to being a drug user following his arrest and, if he fails to tackle the cause of his criminal activities, our officers will be alert for any further offending on his release from prison.”