TV chef arrested

Star caught shoplifting cheese and wine at Tesco...

10:41 09 January 2012

Celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson has been arrested for shoplifting cheese and wine at a Tesco store.

The former Ready Steady Cook star was cautioned by police after being secretly filmed taking items without paying for them, reports The Sun.

It reports that Worrall Thompson was arrested after five shoplifting episodes in just 16 days involving "relatively low value items" like cheese and bottles of wine.

A source told the newspaper:

"He was ordering blocks of cheese at the deli counter, taking bottles of wine, then putting some things through the scanner but walking out with the rest.

"They caught him on camera doing it more than once, but had to be 100 per cent sure it was not a genuine mistake before apprehending him. Because of his high profile, the security staff could not afford to get it wrong."

The tabloid reported that staff at the store had become suspicious that the father-of-four had stolen items on previous visits. He was stopped by security guards and had his bags searched, at which time the police were called.

Worrall Thompson was given a formal caution by police covering five separate offences. While he will not receive a criminal record, details of the caution will be stored on police files.

A Thames Valley Police spokesman said:

"We arrested a man from High Wycombe following a report of shoplifting offences.

"The man has been issued with a formal caution for these offences."