South Oxhey meat thief jailed

3:00pm Sunday 13th January 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Ben Endley, Senior reporter

A South Oxhey man has been jailed for three months after stealing meat from various supermarkets in the area.

Stephen Hardwick, 45, of Otley Way, took meat from four stores in Abbots Langley, Carpenders Park, South Oxhey and Rickmansworth between May and September 2012 and two candles worth £15.98 from a Watford store.

Hardwick also pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to surrender to appear at court cases while on bail.

At St Albans Magistrates Court on Monday, he was jailed for 12 weeks.

Comments(25)

Hornets number 12 fan says...
3:54pm Sun 13 Jan 13

So thats what the big manhunt was for? a Shoplifter! Jeez

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theturpster says...
4:13pm Sun 13 Jan 13

The steaks were high. Looks like he had a personal beef with these stores. He will be lamb-enting in his cell as we speak.

He was also two short for the fork handles.

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theturpster says...
4:23pm Sun 13 Jan 13

He also pleaded guilty after a good grilling by the judge and legal team.

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Cormac1 says...
5:37pm Sun 13 Jan 13

Ham-fisted punning, theturpster. Why won't you put your real name, too chicken?

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theturpster says...
7:09pm Sun 13 Jan 13

Boom tish, did you fillet necessary to give me such a roasting?

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theturpster says...
7:33pm Sun 13 Jan 13

I would change my name, but its hard with this offal website design.

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JohnnyHornet says...
7:38pm Sun 13 Jan 13

Blimey, nearly as long as a murderer.

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Razor Sharp says...
7:45pm Sun 13 Jan 13

How much will all this cost the tax payer? It must be in the region of £10k - 15k. Then he will probably experience difficulty finding work and cost the public purse again. So, who has had the last laugh? Probably the lawyers. So much for austerity.

Wouldn't community service have been more appropriate in the circumstances?

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englishrose123 says...
9:01pm Sun 13 Jan 13

What a looser!!

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pepsiman says...
11:03pm Sun 13 Jan 13

When i became vegan it made me feel healthier and happier. I had so much more energy than before.

Mental disorders are not dermined by ones diet. It depends on your personality and your experiences in life.

The desire to nick meat is really hard to resist at times.

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John Dowdle says...
2:08am Mon 14 Jan 13

I too think it is absurd jailing this man. He should be fined not imprisoned, where he will - no doubt - enjoy large meat meals at taxpayers expense.
Of course, there may be much more behind this decision than meets the eye but based on the facts given he should either be fined or sectioned, if he has a mental disorder.
Sometimes, these judgments seem really crazy - humour is all that is left !

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OKbyMe says...
4:29am Mon 14 Jan 13

JohnnyHornet wrote:
Blimey, nearly as long as a murderer.
er, no

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MarsLander says...
8:46am Mon 14 Jan 13

We must find cheaper punishments for people like this.

It is hard to fathom how prisons came to be so expensive to run. Have a lot of "soft, imaginary" costs been thrown in to the mix?

How much does it really cost to hold a prisoner?

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John Dowdle says...
9:05am Mon 14 Jan 13

The Justice Minister was quoting figures between £15,000 and £50,000 a year per prisoner on Radio 4 a couple of days ago.
See http://www.bbc.co.uk
/news/uk-20975015 for interview with Chris Grayling.

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OAC Bailiff says...
9:46am Mon 14 Jan 13

until we meat again

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theturpster says...
10:01am Mon 14 Jan 13

OAC Bailiff wrote:
until we meat again
Might get a rib-bing for that one.
Choplifting is a serious issue!

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Hornets number 12 fan says...
10:05am Mon 14 Jan 13

And now he's doing stir .... fry!

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theturpster says...
10:09am Mon 14 Jan 13

In the joint.

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HertsPeter says...
10:15am Mon 14 Jan 13

On another story on this site, a cretin got a community order for breaking into TWO houseboats and nicking goods worth in excess of one thousand pounds....

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elvis78 says...
11:04am Mon 14 Jan 13

I was in jail with this guy and to be honest he's a bit of a tool. best place for him. ok he only stole meat this time but he lives a life of crime. propper wrongen. hes got away with alot worse than this charge,,,trust me. karma baby,,,karma. oh and people saying that prison is easy,,,well its not trust me. we never got decent food or xboxes or no luxeries that people always talk about.that might be the case for people doing more that 10 years. but hey im not complaining,,,i did the time etc etc,,,,and i dont wanna go back there in a hurry.ok rant over haha

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elvis78 says...
11:06am Mon 14 Jan 13

I did the *crime,,,should i say

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pepsiman says...
1:30pm Mon 14 Jan 13

I was in prison for seven years. The day I got out my wife and son were there to pick me up. I went through the gates and got into the car. The only thing I said was, "F.F."
My wife turned to me and answered, "E.F."
Out on the motorway, I said, "F.F."
She replied, "E.F."
I repeated, "F.F."
She again said, "E.F."
"Mum! Dad!" our son shouted. "What's going on?"
I told him "Your mother wants to eat first"

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Razor Sharp says...
2:08pm Mon 14 Jan 13

elvis78 wrote:
I was in jail with this guy and to be honest he's a bit of a tool. best place for him. ok he only stole meat this time but he lives a life of crime. propper wrongen. hes got away with alot worse than this charge,,,trust me. karma baby,,,karma. oh and people saying that prison is easy,,,well its not trust me. we never got decent food or xboxes or no luxeries that people always talk about.that might be the case for people doing more that 10 years. but hey im not complaining,,,i did the time etc etc,,,,and i dont wanna go back there in a hurry.ok rant over haha
Sounds like a character from the TV series Shameless.

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n/soul says...
8:06am Tue 15 Jan 13

HEARD HE A BIT OF A ROBIN HOOD. GIVE MOST OF THE MEAT AWAY.

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Razor Sharp says...
5:41am Wed 16 Jan 13

If he stole beef burgers from Tesco, he'd probably be eating horse meet ....... nice.

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