Disguise-wearing shoplifter dubbed 'Satchel Man' is jailed and banned from all Boots stores

Craig Sawyer, 51, of no fixed abode, was convicted of a host charges of theft when he appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates Court yesterday.

Sawyer, who was known to dye his hair, and use different glasses and coats to disguise his appearance, had targeted shops in Shrewsbury, Newport, as well as numerous instances in Worcestershire.

As a result of the hearing he is now banned from the county of Worcestershire and all Boots stores nationally under the terms of his Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO).

Sawyer, who was arrested at Co-op in Malvern on Saturday, January 4, was found guilty of a total of 16 counts of theft from a store – 12 of which were Boots stores including five in Evesham and five in Malvern.

He was also convicted of thefts from a Boots in Walsall and one in Shrewsbury, as well as two thefts at Co-op on Worcester Road, Malvern, one at B&Q in Malvern, and one at Savers in Newport. 

The thefts totalled £11,475.55 and took place between March and December in 2024.

Boots has since confirmed to police he was responsible for £28,000 thefts from their stores nationally.

Police said witnesses described Sawyer's use of different methods to disguise his appearance - but that he always took a favourite brown shoulder bag with him, earning him the nickname of ‘Satchel Man’ in many of the stores he targeted.

At court yesterday, he was further sentenced to 22 weeks in prison to run consecutively, as a suspended term was activated relating to two counts of theft from shops in Uttoxeter totalling £800.35 and going equipped for theft from store in Uttoxeter, all on October 10, 2024.

Sawyer was also handed the CBO which means he must not enter the county of Worcestershire, except for travelling through in a vehicle/train, nor enter any Boots store nationally for a period of five years, which will continue upon his release from prison.

Safer Neighbourhood Inspector for Wychavon and Malvern, Dave Wise, said: “Achieving an immediate custodial sentence and CBO for Sawyer is a real success and serves to protect our retailers in the longer term.

“His CBO bans him from Worcestershire and from all Boots stores nationally. It’s our focus on retail crime and commitment to improving working relationships with local stores that has helped us catch this evasive and prolific thief.”

PC Paul Slaymaker, who is one of several neighbourhood officers in Worcestershire with a remit to focus on shoplifting, added: “The key to this successful prosecution is our relationship with our stores.

“We were able to work with retail staff closely in Evesham and Malvern to understand how Sawyer was operating and to encourage effective reporting at the right time to enable us to get one step ahead of him.

“Having the right intelligence allowed us to predict where he would go next and catch him in the act.”