Teenagers banned from Gorleston shops

Two teenage girls have been banned from shops in Gorleston after they were caught shoplifting. The ban follows an incident on May 22, in which they were seen to remove items from High Street shops and leave without making attempts to pay.

Two teenage girls have been banned from shops in Gorleston after they were caught shoplifting.

The ban follows an incident on May 22, in which they were seen to remove items from High Street shops and leave without making attempts to pay.

The offenders, aged 13 and 15, stole items from New Look and Peacocks, all of which were recovered.

Both fully admitted the offence to police and were dealt with by way of Restorative Justice (RJ) - an alternative to criminal prosecution which brings together offenders of low level crime and their victims to resolve the matter.

PC Dane Hubbard, who facilitated the RJ involving their parents and shop staff, said: “Both girls fully admitted their actions and were ashamed of their behaviour. They made full apologies to shop staff and their parents.”

The girls also received bans from both stores.

He added: “The aim of RJ is to meet the needs of the victim, repair harm, pay back damage to the community and impact offending behaviour by helping to support the offender turn away from crime. By bringing together victims, offenders and communities, it empowers citizens to have a voice in the justice process.”