A FATHER whose son was caught shoplifting Pokmon cards at a York supermarket is calling on shops to stop selling the latest craze merchandise.

Adrian Wilkinson said other parents could also find their otherwise law-abiding children on the wrong side of the law as they compete to collect all 151 of the phenomenally-successful cards.

Adrian's 13-year-old son, Adam, was stopped by security guards at Sainsbury's in Foss Islands Road with a pocket full of Pokmon cards.

He was warned about the theft and banned from the store.

The incident is just the latest in a long line where children have turned to crime to satisfy the obsession for the cards, which cost £2.99 for a pack of 11 and depict fantasy monsters. They change hands on the playground black market for up to £25.

In Hull at the weekend, two children were robbed at knifepoint for their collection, and a similar attack in Kent saw two teenagers assaulted by a gang of children in a dispute over cards.

Park Grove School in York, and others around the country, have now banned them.

"There seems to be an awful lot of children getting into trouble because of these cards - they are addicted to them," said Mr Wilkinson, a businessman, of Stonegate, York.

"It was totally out of character for Adam to do something like this, but he, like other kids, is desperate to get his hands on them.

"Kids are under enormous pressure to collect the whole set and it seems they will do so even if it means stealing them or holding someone up at knifepoint."

Mr Wilkinson said the high value of the rarer cards also meant children would have to turn to crime if they wanted them.

"Shops should either remove these cards from sale, or at least remove the temptation by putting them behind the counter," he said.

Sainsbury's spokeswoman Liz Young said: "We banned sweets from checkouts because customers asked us to, and if a situation arises where these cards cause problems we will respond accordingly."

A spokesman for Tesco said: "If we were to remove them from sale it would just create even more demand."

No one from manufacturers Wizards of the Coast was available for comment.

Do you have a Pokmon nightmare story? Contact David Wiles on 01904 653051 or