‘Professional criminal’ jailed for stolen bank card spending spree

Accustomed to the courts and prison, Dale Simpson has amassed a lengthy number of previous convictions for offences of dishonesty.

Now, the 34-year-old fraudster is back behind bars after stealing from a hardworking member of society and using their bank cards on a spending spree.

Simpson was sentenced at Chester Magistrates’ Court, having entered guilty pleas to five counts of fraud by false representation.

He also admitted sole charges each of theft from a person, breach of a criminal behaviour order, possession of cocaine and failing to attend a class A drug assessment.

The court heard from Lisa Maguire, on behalf of the prosecution, how all of the offences occurred on or around April 14 this year.

Simpson committed theft in the town, stealing three bank cards from a male resident.

Having obtained them, the defendant then used the cards in Vapourz at Cockhedge Shopping Centre to buy vapes to the value of £10.

Simpson also breached his criminal behaviour order by being at the shopping centre with his hood up.

The order, designed to tackle the most serious and persistent anti-social individuals, was imposed when he was jailed for 69 weeks in May 2022.

The defendant also used the bank cards to buy headphones worth £45 from Tech Fitz, goods from SP Montirex valued at £38.98, items with a value of around £9 from Global Minimarket and products from another store worth £202.10.

Simpson was found by authorities to be in possession of a quantity of the class A controlled drug cocaine.

Dale Simpson was jailed at Chester Magistrates' Court

He was required to attend an initial assessment to establish whether he was dependant on the drug or had a propensity to misuse it, but he failed to attend.

The court heard his horrendous criminal record, having previously been jailed for 24 weeks in July last year after stealing close to £3,500 worth of tools from parked vans.

He has also been locked up in the past for 20 weeks at the crown court after breaking into a car, stealing a bank card and using it at the Looking Glass pub and in a shop to buy a vape.

In January 2022, over a three-hour spell, Simpson was also seen on doorbell cameras attempting to steal from unlocked cars.

He used bags and trolleys to carry stolen items such as cash, sunglasses, a laptop and an iPad.

For his latest spell of offending, magistrates highlighted how the severity, nature and number of the offences meant that only an immediate custodial sentence was appropriate.

They commented that the defendant has a ‘flagrant disregard for people and their property’, adding that he is ‘operating as a professional criminal’.

Simpson, of James Lee House, on Brick Street near the town centre, was sentenced to 12 weeks immediate imprisonment.

Magistrates also approved an order for the forfeiture and destruction of the cocaine seized from him.

Commenting on his previous offending, chief inspector Neil Drum, of Cheshire Police, said: “Simpson is a prolific offender who has brought misery to Warrington over a number of years.

“He has no remorse for any of his victims and thrives off his offending.

“Our officers will use all the tools available to them to make the area a hostile place for criminals.”