Shoplifter phoned police and asked if he was a wanted man
Natasha Jackson appeared at Suffolk Magistrates' Court a month after her brother Picture: GREGG BROWN - Credit: Gregg Brown
A shoplifter phoned police and asked them if he was wanted before admitting two store thefts, a court heard.
Jason Grundy, 34, of Childers Field, Felixstowe, contacted police on November 26 and asked them if he might be wanted and that he wished to hand himself in.
Officers made checks and discovered that he was not a wanted man, and Grundy then admitted two thefts earlier in the month.
Appearing before magistrates in Ipswich on Thursday, Grundy pleaded guilty to two charges of theft from a shop as well as admitting a breach of a post-sentence supervision order by failing to attend Probation Service appointments.
The court heard how Grundy told police that he stole £1,154 worth of cosmetics from Boots in Woodbridge on November 15 as well as £16 worth of washing detergent from One Stop in Ipswich.
Following his admission to police, officers visited Woodbridge Boots and captured CCTV footage from November 15 which showed Grundy walking into the Thoroughfare store, placing a number of cosmetics from the shelves into a bag and exiting the shop without paying.
Officers then attended One Stop in Cambridge Drive, Ipswich, where CCTV footage was also obtained showing Grundy taking washing detergent and leaving the shop.
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In police interview, Grundy told officers he had stolen the items to fund his drug habit and had sold the cosmetics over a period of days for between £200 and £400.
Magistrates heard that Grundy had served a month in prison earlier in the year, being released on May 14.
Mark Holt, defending, said Grundy's admissions to police were a cry for help.
He said: "Around September/October time, he fell back into class A drug use.
"Fundamentally, it was a cry for help. He sold the cosmetics to sustain his addiction and it was after the second theft that he decided to hand himself in.
"The unusual circumstances of him asking if he was wanted and then admitting the thefts indicates to me that he is someone who wants to get his issues resolved."
Magistrates handed Grundy a 12-month community order, with 15 Rehabilitation Activity (RA) days. He must also pay Boots £1,154 and One Stop £16 in compensation.
