A woman who stole perfumes worth thousands of pounds while evading police across England and Wales has been sentenced by a court, which also imposed a ban on her entry into all John Lewis stores.
The woman - described as a habitual perfume thief - had been avoiding police for nearly a year. As part of the court’s ruling, she has now been barred from entering any John Lewis outlet.
The report stated that 27-year-old Agita Seka was first arrested in August 2024 after store staff spotted her attempting to quietly leave a perfume chain store in Cheadle, Manchester, with designer perfumes.
Following the incident, she was due to appear before Stockport Magistrates’ Court two months later but failed to attend and went into hiding.
It was further reported that she repeatedly changed her appearance to evade arrest before finally surrendering to Northumbria Police in November 2025.
Agita Seka later pleaded guilty to four offences at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court, including stealing goods worth more than £2,400 over a three-month period.
The court sentenced her for persistent criminal behavior and imposed a one-year ban on entering the stores.
Manchester Police stated that Seka’s crimes were not opportunistic but deliberate, organized, and carried out repeatedly.
Police emphasized that shoplifting is not a victimless crime, noting that it causes significant financial losses to retailers, negatively impacts store staff, and ultimately leads to higher prices for honest customers.
