A MAN has been sentenced in court after pleading guilty to a string of shoplifting offences over a two-month period.

Daniel Doherty, aged 22, was arrested by undercover police wearing plain clothes as they conducted an operation to target shoplifters in Accrington town centre.

He was charged with 26 offences and later pleaded guilty, police said.

In court, he was handed an 18-week suspended sentence. An order has also been made to ban him from Accrington town centre, as well as some stores on the outskirts, for two years.

PS Corbett of the Hyndburn Neighbourhood Policing Team said: "Doherty is a prolific offender who has caused chaos within the town centre in recent weeks.

"We will continue to target these types of offences and have several other criminal behaviour orders in the pipeline.

"Any person breaching the order will be arrested. We will continue to conduct plain clothes operations in the run up to Christmas."

Hyndburn Police posted about the ban on social media: "On Friday, November 22, 2019, Hyndburn Neighbourhood Policing team officers carried out a plain clothes operation targeting shoplifters within Accrington town centre. This led to the arrest of 22-year-old Daniel Doherty.

"Doherty was suspected of committing 33 shoplifting offences in and around the town centre since the beginning of October 2019.

"Following interview Doherty was charged with 26 offences and later pleaded guilty resulting in him receiving an 18-week suspended sentence.

"On the back of this conviction police applied for a criminal behaviour order which was granted by the court. This order prohibits Doherty from entering the town centre area and also some stores on the outskirts. The order will last for two years."