Ethical campaigner fined £100 for shoplifting

1:06pm Friday 11th May 2007

HE was one of York's best-known campaigners in the early 2000s.

As a member of the Castle Area Campaign, Keith Davis helped spearhead successful protests against the Coppergate Riverside proposals for a shopping centre below Clifford's Tower.

And as a member of York Against The War, he took part in a peace march through the city which culminated in peace protesters occupying Ouse Bridge and Museum Street.

But now he has been convicted of shoplifting from a whole-food cooperative shop - after striking up a conversation with staff about environmental issues.

The 51-year-old was fined £100 plus £60 in costs by magistrates in Bath after admitting stealing items from the Harvest Natural Foods store in Walcot Street, Bath.

The court heard how on June 20 last year, Davis - who gave an address in Cockermouth, Cumbria, but has been campaigning in Bath on a range of ethical issues in recent times - stole oats, wine, vitamins and toilet roll from the store.

Jim Langston, a member of the Harvest co-operative, said the team was upset about the way Davis had behaved.

"He was using us," he said. "He was talking to us about environmental issues while slipping things in his back pocket."

He said the local paper in Bath had run an article saying "what a wonderful person" Davis was and claimed that he supported small retail outlets.

He said that in some ways, Davis was a wonderful person. "He's an interesting man to talk to. It's just awful he wasted it by stealing from us. It still haunts us that he stole from us."

Mr Langston said that Davis was now banned from the shop and would never be allowed back in, even if he apologised.

Davis was unavailable for comment.