A SHOPLIFTER who punched a member of staff and threatened another with a knife has been jailed.

Michael Binmore, 45, was sentenced to seven years in prison after admitting to a series of robberies at shops in Bournemouth.

Binmore first targeted a Co-Op store in Christchurch Road on the morning of November 13, 2023.

The defendant was challenged by a staff member after he was seen to be attempting to conceal bottles of alcohol in his jacket.

He then proceeded to take a knife out of his jacket and threatened the member of staff, before making off with the stolen goods.

The following day, Binmore returned to the same store at around 8.25am and took around £200-worth of stock from the shelves, putting the items into a carrier bag.

As he attempted to leave without paying for the items, he was again challenged by a staff member.

Binmore punched them to the side of the head and then made off from the scene.

On November 17, at around 1.35pm, Binmore entered the Co-op store in Madiera Road and put three bottles of alcohol inside his coat.

When staff approached him, he pulled a knife out and told them not to come any closer.

The defendant again made threats before leaving the store with the stolen goods.

Around 15 minutes later, he stole six cans of Red Bull from the Co-op store in Christchurch Road.

Later that afternoon officers were carrying out searches for the defendant located Binmore in the area of East Overcliff Drive.

He was arrested and subsequently charged with all four offences.

Binmore, of no fixed address, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Wednesday, August 14, after previously pleading guilty to three charges of robbery and one of theft.

As well as receiving a seven-year jail term, Binmore was made the subject of a criminal behaviour order for a period of eight years.

The order states Binmore must not remain in any shop, commercial or hospitality premises when asked to leave by staff, security officers, community safety accreditation scheme officers, police community support officers or police officers.

He is also prohibited from entering any premises where he has previously been banned by staff, either verbally or in writing.

If he breaches these requirements, Binmore is liable to be brought back before the courts.

Police constable Jo Morgan, of the East Bournemouth Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We take all reports of retail crime extremely seriously, particularly incidents involving knives.

“Shop workers should not have to face being subjected to violence and threats with knives when they are simply going about their daily jobs.

“We have worked hard in this case to identify Michael Binmore as the man responsible for these offences and not only compile evidence that has resulted in his guilty pleas and jail sentence, but also to secure a court order protecting retailers from the impact of his offending.

“We will continue to work with members of our business communities to identify repeat offenders and take robust action against them.”