05-06-2025
'Less glamorous than Hot Fuzz': bodycam footage shows Essex officers chasing prolific thief
Bodycam footage shows police chasing Scott Butcher
Bodycam footage has been released showing police scaling garden fences to chase down a prolific thief.
Scott Butcher fled the rear of a house in Colchester, Essex, where he was staying without the owner's permission, on 28 March after police surrounded the property.
The 38-year-old had been identified as the culprit in 11 separate thefts, ten at Co-op stores and one at the Asda store in Shrub End Road.
Butcher, of no fixed address, stole cleaning products, meat and sweets, with the highest-value theft worth £230.
He was in breach of a Criminal Behaviour Order put in place in September 2023, stopping him from entering any Co-op store in Essex.
Officers from the Colchester Local Policing Team managed to catch him and he was arrested before being charged with 11 counts of theft and 10 breaches of his CBO.
He was sentenced to eight months in prison at Ipswich Crown Court.
Sgt Dean Young said: "It's a little less glamorous and executed with a little less flair than you see in films like Hot Fuzz, but we won't let gates or garden fences get in the way of catching criminals.
"I know we can't be everywhere at all times, but I'd like to urge our businesses and residents to feel confident in making reports to us about theft and associated anti-social behaviour."
