A SERIAL thief has been barred from every Greggs in England and Wales after repeatedly targeting the same bakery in a shameless crime spree.
Patrick Verry, 33, is now forbidden from entering any of the high street baker’s hundreds of branches following a court order brought by the .
He was caught in the act last week by officers inside a in Wood Green, , after striking the location seven times.
Verry was arrested on the spot and brought before Highbury the following day, where he admitted to six counts of theft from the same Greggs store.
Police described him as one of the capital’s “most prolific shoplifters”;; — and now he’s banned from every Greggs outlet across the country in a move to protect staff and customers.
The order comes as part of a new Met Police blitz on retail amid soaring rates nationwide.
Chief Inspector Rav Pathania, the Met’s crime lead, said: “The Met is focused on tackling the most prolific shoplifters like Verry.
“They cause fear to retail workers and their offending has a negative impact on communities.”;;
He continued: “We continue to work with local owners to investigate reports of shoplifting, understand concerns and use different tactics to crackdown, including targeted operations and regular patrols.”;;
The ban on Verry comes as The Sun lifts the lid on the true scale of the shoplifting crisis crippling British high streets.
Our undercover investigation found Greggs shops across the country being stripped of stock in broad daylight, with some stores experiencing a theft every 20 minutes.
At one busy location in South London, a thief was seen stuffing doughnuts and drinks into his pockets before barging past staff and walking out unfazed.
In another shocking clip filmed in Tooting, a brave female Greggs manager tried to stop a thief who was carrying several bottles of .
She shouted: “You’re not having all of that,”;; as the crook tried to leave.
He coolly replied: “Yeah I’m walking out with them, watch me.”;;
Customers looked on in silence, too scared to step in. A witness said: “There were two grown men just stood by the tills.
“Everyone was just silent.
“No one said a word. People are just afraid now.”;;
The Met later confirmed it was not alerted to the Tooting incident, which happened in August, highlighting just how many shoplifting cases go unreported.
Our reporters saw similar scenes play out in branches from to , with thieves helping themselves to hot food, drinks and sandwiches without even trying to hide it.
In Stockwell, South London, one man was caught on camera filling his coat with products before grabbing two boxes of and fleeing during the lunchtime rush.
In Worthing, , two men repeatedly walked in and out of Greggs helping themselves to hot food from the display cabinets.
On Brighton’s Queen’s Road, one crook walked off with two trays of wedges in front of a stunned staff member. “Average day,”;; the employee said when asked about it.
Minutes later, another thief ran out with two trays of wedges and a sandwich, while yet another masked man sprinted off carrying food as helpless staff shouted after him.
In , a man entered just after midday, grabbed four hot food items and said: “Sorry guys, I’m homeless, I need to eat,”;; before walking straight out the door.
In many cases, Greggs staff are told not to intervene directly with thieves for safety reasons.
One insider told us: “They’ve been told not to chase anyone, not to engage. It’s heartbreaking for the team.”;;
Astonishingly, just 350 people have been prosecuted for stealing from Greggs in the last six months.
Of those, only 111 received immediate or suspended jail time — and most had long criminal records.
Greggs has started introducing extra security measures in stores hit hardest by crime.
That includes removing self-serve fridges, placing chilled food behind the till, and trialling bouncers in some branches.
One staff member said: “It’s like we’re on the front line. You’re trying to sell sausage rolls but you’re looking over your shoulder constantly.”;;
Greggs boss Roisin Currie confirmed the company is now using facial recognition to catch thieves and pass images to police.
“We’ve now got a system where we can take photos of people committing theft on the shop floor and that then instantly goes to the police,”;; she told The Sun.
The bakery chain is also investing in body cameras for workers and running trials with a 24-hour shoplifting helpline.
A Greggs spokeswoman said: “Shoplifting is an industry-wide issue and we take it extremely seriously.
The safety of our colleagues and customers remains our absolute priority.”;;
Politicians have backed The Sun’s investigation.
said: “This is an important and timely investigation from The Sun, exposing just how bad the shoplifting epidemic has become.
“There has to be consequences for this appalling criminality.”;;
Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson added: “Retail workers should never feel unsafe at work. That is why we’re taking robust action to tackle shop theft and protect workers.”;;
She confirmed new laws are coming under the Crime and Policing Bill, which will create a specific offence for assaulting shop staff and scrap the £200 threshold that previously gave low-level shoplifters “effective immunity.”;;
Meanwhile, the Met has released dramatic new footage showing suspects sprinting from stores clutching bottles, sandwiches and snacks as part of a wider crackdown on repeat retail offenders.
And police chiefs say they’re not stopping with Verry, more bans could be coming for other prolific shoplifters as efforts ramp up to restore order on Britain’s battered high streets.
