Releasing suspects under investigation brings justice system into 'disrepute', judge claims

Max Stephens
·2 min read
Judge Julian Lambert said it "beggars belief" that Richard Stapleton was able to commit a series of thefts without appearing at court.
Judge Julian Lambert said it "beggars belief" that Richard Stapleton was able to commit a series of thefts without appearing at court.

Releasing suspects while they are under investigation threatens to bring the justice system into "disrepute", a judge has declared, after hearing how a prolific shoplifter re-offended seven times in the space of a year.

Judge Julian Lambert said it "beggars belief" that Richard Stapleton was able to commit a series of thefts without appearing at court.

Stapleton, 40, from Gloucester, came to the attention of police in April 2019 when he brandished a knife at B&Q staff after he was seen acting suspiciously with a woman.

He was referred to the Crown Prosecution Service six months later but wasn't charged until April last year by which time he had committed seven further offences, Gloucester Crown Court heard.

Even then his offending did not end - Stapleton stole again from a shop in June last year and was charged with a further theft in November although he has denied that charge and is awaiting a magistrates court trial.

Judge Lambert said: "If I worked in a shop and I saw somebody who had been released under investigation by the police time after time only for them to keep on stealing I would think there was something wrong with the justice system.

"This situation beggars belief in that he has been repeatedly released time and time again under investigation, without ever being charged.

"It didn't used to be this way. If somebody was caught stealing they were taken to a magistrates court to appear at the next available hearing.

"I can't see how this current practice of releasing people under investigation and waiting for a charging decision to be made is good for justice. It brings the whole process into disrepute."

Defending Stapleton, Sarah Jenkins said her client's lifestyle is "far from glamorous" but that now he was free of drugs after previously using money to feed his addiction.

Stapleton received a jail sentence of 18 months on Thursday after he admitted multiple charges including theft, heroin possession, and possessing an offensive weapon at Cheltenham Magistrates Court last month.