Sticky-fingered thief spared jail for his part in chewing gum heist

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy An 18-year-old who helped steal £30,000 of Wrigley’s chewing gum from a lorry in a bid to settle a debt has been ordered to complete 150 hours of community service. Mr Ndlou said Sanderson had “played absolutely no part” in the planning of the chewing gum heist. Handing Sanderson 10 months in jail suspended for 18 months, recorder judge Richard Mawhinney said: “This was a sophisticated and planned operation to identify a vehicle from which goods were to be stolen. “The operation was instigated in Leeds in Yorkshire, so it was clearly sophisticated and planned but I accept that planning was not yours and you were effectively a foot soldier.” Recorder Mawhinney continued: “You were under a certain amount of pressure to perform these actions but at the same time you benefited by having a debt written off.” He noted that the lorry driver had suffered emotional distress “because effectively it was her home that was broken into” and she had to take a week off work.