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Anna Boyne
London: A prolific shoplifter who has been banned from every Tesco in Derby, England, has caused a stir online by being singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran’s doppelganger.
Bailey Esmonde, 22, was issued with a criminal behaviour order (CBO), and when Derbyshire Constabulary posted his custody photo in a press release about the order, it quickly prompted a reaction on social media.
The force’s social media post attracted more than 2700 comments, with many referring to the resemblance to the pop star, and to Sheeran’s songs.
Referring to the opening line of Thinking Out Loud, one Facebook user commented: “They caught him? Guess his legs don’t work like they used to before.”
Another, using the name of a 2021 hit, wrote: “Bad habits lead to shoplifting Ed!”
Esmonde’s Tesco ban will last until May 13, 2029. He is prohibited from entering any Tesco in the city and must not remain in any retail or commercial premises when asked to leave by staff, security, police officers or police community support officers.
The thief was arrested on April 1 for possession of cocaine two days after he stole two cans of cider from a Tesco Express store on St Peter’s Street in the city centre.
At Southern Derbyshire magistrates’ court on April 2, Esmonde, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to charges of theft and possession of crack cocaine.
He was given a conditional discharge for 12 months and made to pay compensation for the theft of the alcohol.
Esmonde had already been subject to a CBO imposed in 2024 after he admitted stealing a can of energy drink, two packets of sandwiches, a bag of crisps and a bag of chicken bites from Tesco Express in Alvaston.
He was banned from entering the Alvaston store, but following his latest crimes, officers successfully applied to have the CBO extended to ban him from all Tesco shops in Derby. The order was granted at a hearing on May 14.
In 2018, Blackpool police released footage of a supermarket thief with an uncanny resemblance to David Schwimmer, the Friends star.
In response, the actor posted: “Officers, I swear it wasn’t me. As you can see, I was in New York. To the hard-working Blackpool Police, good luck with the investigation.”
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