Luxury perfume thief jailed and banned from City

A thief who stole £7,000 worth of perfume from one store in the City of London has been sentenced to 35 weeks in prison.

Phillip Themistockli, 43, of Helston Street, Camden, pleaded guilty to seven counts of theft and he was also handed a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) banning him from entering the Square Mile for five years.

He had persistently targeted a luxury beauty store on Cheapside, brazenly stealing bottles of perfume.

Themistockli’s 15-month suspended sentence has been activated, which he will serve consecutively with his 35-week sentence.

Detective Sergeant Helen Bentley, of the Suspect and Offender Management Team at the City of London Police, said:

“Shoplifting is not a victimless crime; it can cause significant alarm and distress to retail staff, as well as members of the public.

“We want retailers to come forward and report any crime so we can start investigations. Through the store’s CCTV, and our extensive camera network in the City, we will bring criminals to justice.

“CBOs are designed to tackle the most serious and persistent anti-social individuals and if Phillip Themistockli breaches his CBO conditions, we can arrest him and put him back before the courts.”

Themistockli was convicted of the following:

• On Friday 24 May 2024, Themistockli placed bottles of perfume into a basket and walked out without paying. The products were worth stealing £1,750 in total.
• On Wednesday 29 May 2024, he took bottles of perfume to the total value of around £953.
• On Thursday 6 June 2024, he stole £1,033 worth of fragrances.
• On Friday 7 June 2024, he also stole from the shop with a value of £1,300.
• On Thursday 20 June 2024 he walked out the store with around £945 worth of perfume.
• On Tuesday 22 October 2024, Themistockli stole around £590 worth of fragrances.
• And on Thursday 12 December 2024, he took bottles of perfume with a total value of £450.