Boozer helped himself to red wine in Asda

An alcoholic broke a ban forbidding him from boozing in public when he openly drank from a stolen bottle of wine in a supermarket, a court has heard.
COURT: Court CaseCOURT: Court Case
COURT: Court Case

Jonathan Paul Taylor, 40, of Caledonian Road, Retford, admitted stealing the bottle of red wine from Asda in the early hours of March 1.

Mansfield magistrates heard the theft put him in breach of an anti-social behaviour order which forbade him from drinking publicly anywhere in Nottinghamshire, and a four-week suspended sentence imposed in January for a similar offence.

Jo Chadd, prosecuting, said: “A security guard saw him pick a bottle of wine and drink. He asked Mr Taylor to pay for it but was told he couldn’t because he only had 60p. He said he took the wine because he was depressed.”

CCTV caught Taylor stealing the bottle and drinking from it in the meat aisle.

The two-year ASBO was originally made in July 2014.

The court heard he had 103 previous offences, with seven thefts and six breaches of the ASBO in 2015 alone. He also had £1,766 of outstanding fines.

Chris Perry, mitigating, said: “Mr Taylor has a dysfunctional relationship with alcohol. It took his brother at the age of 24 and it took his dad far too young. He is too young to die from alcohol.

“Sooner or later Mr Taylor will take all the help he can get and run with it to stop abusing alcohol.”

Mr Perry said Taylor was desperate after his benefits were stopped.

He said the probation service described Taylor as an intelligent and articulate man who had a career in the past, but they were unable to offer him any additional support.

“Mr Taylor knows what is required of him,” said Mr Perry. “It is a question of whether he can take all the help that is available to him.”

Magistrates sentenced him to a total of six weeks in prison and imposed a 12 month supervision order on his release. He was ordered to pay £6.99 compensation to Asda for the wine.