A man who assaulted an off-duty police officer has been sentenced following a string of thefts from cars and shops in Norwich.

Described as a "prolific offender", Frankie Saich, 39, of no fixed address, received his sentence at Norwich Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. 

At an earlier hearing, he admitted to a number of offences that had taken place between August 28 and September 17 of this year. 

They included one theft from a shop, assaulting an emergency worker, criminal damage, two thefts from motor vehicles and two counts of fraud.

On August 28, Saich was stopped by an off-duty police officer in the city centre after running out of a shop with three coats.

He was arrested but attempted to punch the officer and damaged his watch in the scuffle.

Saich's other charges involved the theft of debit cards from cars which he was later caught using on CCTV.

He had also left fingerprints on documents in one of the car's glove boxes and was captured by another household's CCTV cameras. 

Saich was released on bail so that further investigations could take place under Operation Converter – a unit that investigates suspects believed to be responsible for multiple similar crimes.

He was handed a Criminal Behaviour Order banning him from entering any vehicle or driveway without the owner’s permission.

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With the extra time, investigators were able to gather evidence and gain admissions for a further eight offences including two attempted thefts from vehicles, three thefts from vehicles, one of vehicle interference and two thefts from shops.

At Norwich Magistrates' Court, Saich was given a two-month prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered to pay £304 in compensation to three victims.

Duncan Etchells, staff supervisor of Operation Converter, said: “Saich is a prolific offender whose actions have a significant impact on the community. 

"We are committed to investigating all such offenders bringing them before the courts for the sake of each victim and work positively with our retail partners to make this happen."