Thief stole £300 worth of chocolate in raids on shops

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A thief with an alcohol problem pinched £300 of chocolate in a crime spree against six retailers, a court heard.

Jonathan Evans, 32, also swiped goods including meat, candles, turkey strips and diced chicken when he targeted firms in South Shields and Boldon Colliery.

In total, the dad-of-four, of Raeburn Road, Whiteleas, made off with £500 of stock from shops including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons.

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At South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, he pleaded guilty to eight counts of theft from a shop, between September and January.

District Judge Zoe Passfield heard he committed his crimes in a bid to feed a drink habit – and he was also street homeless.

As part punishment, she ordered him to wear an alcohol monitoring tag for the next 120 days in a bid to help him beat the booze.

Prosecutor Paul Anderson said: “You’ve got eight shop thefts admitted, and all are low-level but in total they go up to £200-plus.

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“It doesn’t appear that in any of the offences the goods were recovered.”

Evans struck first on Monday, September 16, when he stole 30 large chocolate bars – priced at £135 - from Tesco Express in Seawinnings Way, South Shields.

On Saturday, October 5, he stole £65 of chocolate from Heron Foods at Boldon Colliery.

And on Monday, November 18, Evans pilfered £40 of meat from Sainsbury’s in Stanhope Road, South Shields.

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He struck again on Saturday, December 14, when he stole six candles, valued at £25, from Priceway Bargains, also in South Shields.

Four days later, he took £70 of turkey strips from Iceland, and on Saturday, December 28, 24 bars of Dairy Milk – valued at £96 from Morrisons – both in South Shields.

The following day, Evans pinched eight bars of Dairy Milk and four packs of diced chicken – totalling £42 – again from Morrisons.

And on Thursday, January 2, he made off with two packs of frozen chicken strips and M&M chocolates, valued at £24, also from Iceland.

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Ian Cassidy, defending, said: “He’s not been drinking for two days. He wants to stop and is desperate to stop.

“He says that these offences were all committed when he was street homeless and didn’t have accommodation or any funds.

“He says this temporary accommodation with his partner has got him on a stable footing. He was stealing for alcohol.”

The Probation Service told the hearing Evans was “technically alcohol dependent” but that he had not consumed alcohol for two days.

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A spokeswoman said he had committed his crimes while rough sleeping and that his situation was improving although he was classed as being vulnerable.

She said he was “desperate” to be fitted with an alcohol monitoring tag as a spur to stopping drinking.

Judge Passfield also made Evans subject to a 12-month community order, with 15 rehabilitation days, and he must pay a £114 victim surcharge.

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