Preston thief fell off bike as he tried to flee store with £300 booze

Convicted burglar and thief Kevin Thomas Brass, 39, of Jemmett Street, Deepdale, Preston, is now in breach of a suspended jail term, Preston Crown Court heard.

He helped himself to £321 worth of spirits from Morrisons in Preston on October 1.

The court heard a security guard saw him leaving through a fire door at the store at 12.55pm with several bottles in a basket.

The guard followed and found him on the ground in the car park trying to pick up the bottles, having fallen from his bike.

After he was detained he asked to use the toilet and tried to run away.

Brass was given an eight month jail term suspended for 18 months in December following a burglary at Bodycare in Preston.

He had smashed the front window and left the scene on his bike, leaving a trail of perfume boxes, an iron bar and a hammer.

He admits breaching that order and theft.

Defending, Beverley Hackett said his record illustrated his acute drug addiction, and that he was now living in supported accommodation

She added: " In interview he said he bumped into another person who is well known to these courts who he owed a drug debt to and matters were such that he was told he needed to repay that in a certain way. He doesn't seek to excuse himself, but that's the circumstances and context."

Judge Andrew Jefferies QC extended the period of his suspended jail term to two years and added 20 rehabilitation activity days to allow probation to work with him.

He said: "The prisons at the minute are probably at breaking capacity and the people who really should be in prison are the people I don't want to be bumping into walking down the street, rapists etc.

"You're a pain, frankly, because the judge who dealt with your first case felt you should go to prison but gave you a chance - and now you're back.

"The only thing that's stopping me immediately sentencing you to eight months is the fact that of all the people who should be in prison through Covid you're probably not one of them. It's a pain and annoyance to shopkeepers but can't be described as you being dangerous.

"If we were in normal times I'd say you had your chance and you blew it.

"But let me make this abundantly clear. I'm not going anywhere in the near future - if you breach this order you'll be back in front of me and it'll be eight months, no ifs, no buts."

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