Hunt for millionaire shoplifter who made £1,000 a day from forged till receipts

By ANDY DOLAN - 12th October 2007

He dresses in Armani, Louis Vuitton and Versace clothes and stays at the best hotels.

But behind the face of a respectable businessman, Kevin Castle is in reality a prolific shoplifter and conman whose criminal activities net him thousands of pounds a week.

Castle is being sought by three police forces.

Kevin Castle is featured on Lancashire Constabulary's Most Wanted page

Lancashire constabulary has named the 'millionaire shoplifter' as one of its mostwanted crooks while officers in Greater Manchester and Castle's home county of Nottinghamshire are also hunting him.

Castle first came to the attention of police three years ago after he was caught returning shoplifted items with forged till receipts to B&Q stores.

He was given a community rehabilitation order after being convicted of 100 shoplifting offences in B&Q stores around the North-West.

Police said he most recently shoplifted at B&Q in Bamber Bridge, near Preston.

Greater Manchester police are looking for him in connection with 85 thefts, many committed at Homebase DIY stores, where he again used forged till receipts to gain refunds.

Detective Constable Anita Fishwick, of Lancashire Police, said Castle is known to frequent highclass such as the Ritz, Claridge's and the Dorchester.

DC Fishwick said: "This man likes to think he is a criminal mastermind.

"There is no doubt he is Britain's biggest shoplifter. He lives and looks like a millionaire.

"He is a suave, charismatic businessman who has made shoplifting his trade.

"Mr Castle is quite distinctive because of his clothing and his millionaire- type lifestyle.

"We are very keen to trace this man and speak to him in connection with our inquiries."

Kevin Castle is believed to be living the highlife, much like Leonardo DiCaprio's character in Catch Me If You Can

As well as shoplifting, Castle, 42, is being sought in connection with identity theft, interception of mail, money laundering, non-payment of a confiscation order and failing to carry out a community service order.

DC Fishwick said Castle had posed as an electrical engineer, alarm fitter and property developer to carry out crime.

He had also claimed to be a director of a business called 1st Global Enterprises, a guise he used to hire vehicles and services which often went unpaid.

She said Castle favours large hire cars such as the VW Touareg 4x4 and Porsche Cayenne, as well as Jaguars.

DC Fishwick added: "Mr Castle is making between £500 and £1,000 a day from shoplifting alone and we are particularly worried that he seems to have branched out into other areas of crime.

"It is impossible to predict how much money he has raked in throughout his criminal career but it certainly stretches into hundreds of thousands of pounds."

Castle features on Lancashire Constabulary's Most Wanted internet page at www.lancashire.police.uk.

He is described as 5ft 5in but he often wears blocks in his shoes to give him more height.

He has mousey brown receding hair.

His long-term partner Elaine Rogers, 46, from Nottingham, is due to stand trial on charges of money laundering and obtaining a mortgage by deception in January.