Homeless man nicked LEDs from same Mansfield store twice

Stephen Richard Clay, 36, admitted two counts of theft when he appeared before magistrates in Mansfield on Thursday.

The court heard security staff at B&M Bargains, on Stockwell Gate, saw Clay steal two boxes of LED lights, worth £39.98, on September 27.

The same member of staff spotted him the next day, carrying two more boxes, and police were called.

Donna Pursglove, mitigating, said Clay had been before the courts on “numerous occasions” and was now sleeping in a tent in the Mansfield area.

“He has been trying to keep his drug use to a minimum but he has been using mamba,” she said.

“He is doing the best he can with what he has.”

She said Clay was making a claim for benefits and ate at a soup kitchen and used food banks.

He owes the court £1,086 in outstanding fines.

Greta Percival, for the probation service, said progress to address Clay’s drug problems and accomodation had been slow.

He was released from prison on September 14 after serving a six week offence for stealing perfume in June.

Clay was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, because of his long record and because he was on post-sentence supervision when the offence was committed.

He was ordered to pay compensation of £39.98, because the second set of lights was recovered.