A man was found with a knife after he was stopped because police thought he was shoplifting.

A Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) spotted Theo Wolfe-England leaving a shop in Worthing, which they suspected he had just stolen from.

Officers attended to stop and search Wolfe-England, 23, of Langley Lane, Crawley.

He was found to be in possession of a knife and was arrested and charged.

Wolfe-England pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months when he appeared before Crawley Magistrates’ Court on Friday.

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He was given a rehabilitation activity requirement for a maximum of 25 days, 120 hours of unpaid work, an order for the deprivation of the defendant’s rights as well as a serious violence reduction order (SVRO) which gives police the powers to search him at any time in a public place for a year.

Wolfe-England was ordered to also pay a total of £239.

Police Sergeant Sam Milsom said: “This is an excellent result and a real credit to our whole team.

“From spotting the offender to securing the charge and result, this shows our teamwork throughout the whole process.

“I’d like to also congratulate recruit constable Laura Jackson for securing yet another SVRO, and she becomes the first person in the force to get two applications approved.

“The SVRO is such a powerful tool we can use to target knife crime. If he is found to have a knife or a bladed article again, he can be fined or imprisoned for up to two years, or both.”