Men charged with stealing discarded food from a supermarket bin

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Man charged with stealing discarded food from a supermarket bin

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Men charged with stealing discarded food from supermarket bin

which involves people taking discarded supermarket food Photo: Alamy By Miranda Prynne, News Reporter

2:27PM GMT 29 Jan 2014

Three men are due to stand trial next month after they were allegedly caught stealing food from dustbins behind an Iceland store.

The Crown Prosecution Service claimed there was a “significant public interest” in prosecuting Paul May, Jason Chan and William James for taking the discarded food, The Guardian reported.

Mr May, 35, a freelance web designer, is expected to argue that he has not done anything illegal by claiming mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese and Mr Kipling cakes which had been thrown away and would have ended up as landfill.

He will tell the hearing on February 3 the food had been disposed of and he needed it to feed himself.

The trio were arrested in October when a passer-by alerted police after seeing the men scaling a wall at the back of the supermarket in Kentish Town, north London.

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Officers intercepted the three men, who all live in a squat in north London, as they left with a bag and trolley containing £33-worth of food.

The case will highlight the issues around “skipping”, which involves people taking discarded supermarket food which is destined for landfill, and once again focus attention on the large amount of waste produced by UK stores.

It may also raise awareness of the growing number of people struggling to feed themselves as living costs increase.

The three men were initially arrested for burglary but have been charged under a little known section of the 1824 Vagrancy Act after being caught in “an enclosed area, namely Iceland, for an unlawful purpose, namely stealing food”.

They were held in a cell for 19 hours before being released, May told The Guardian, and the items were returned to the Iceland store.

Lawyers for the three men asked the Crown Prosecution Service to consider dropping the case, but were told the case would go ahead, because “we feel there is significant public interest in prosecuting these three individuals.”

Frozen food firm Iceland has said its staff had not called police about the three men allegedly stealing from its bins.

The retailer said the store is next to a police station and that officers had attended "on their own initiative".

It has asked the Crown Prosecution Service to explain why charges are being brought.

A statement on the Iceland website said: "The store in question is next door to a police station.

“Iceland staff did not call the police, who attended on their own initiative. Nor did we instigate the resulting prosecution, of which we had no knowledge until the media reports of it appeared yesterday evening.

"We are currently trying to find out from the Crown Prosecution Service why they believe that it is in the public interest to pursue a case against these three individuals, and will comment further when we are more fully informed."

 Law and OrderNews »UK News »Retail and Consumer »Food and Drink »Crime »

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Michael and his wife were extremely distressed. A notorious traveller gang from Limerick are suspected of carrying out the raid

A source

A source said: “Michael and his wife were extremely distressed. A notorious traveller gang from Limerick are suspected of carrying out the raid.

“The horn will be worth tens of thousands on the black market.” Illegal dealers can sell rhino horns for up to £300,000 in Asia, where they are prized for their use in Chinese medicine.

No one was hurt in the raid but the family were shaken.

Flatley, who also created the Irish dance show Riverdance, spent £30million restoring 18th century Castlehyde.

A source said: “This is something he never expected.

“He bought the horn as a collector and is devastated. But he is more devastated at his and his family’s life being put at risk.”

Police appealed to the public for information about the raid.

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