Homeless man stole £200 of booze from Asda in Forest Town

A homeless man who stole nearly £200 of booze from the Asda in Forest Town has been spared another prison sentence.

Michael Bean, 32, admitted stealing two bottles of bourbon and four bottles of whisky from the store on April 19.

Chris Perry, mitigating, said Bean had been released from custody at the end of March.

He said: “Inevitably on his release he’s back into the community with no more than he had when he went in.

“Drug issues have been a prevalent problem but he is now in receipt of methadone on a daily basis.”

The court heard Bean suffered from deep vein thrombosis and mobility problems, and had recently sustained a fractured skull which caused him to have seizures.

Mr Perry said Bean had finally got benefits in place which would allow him to pay for a roof over his head in the hope he could engage with the probation service.

Magistrates ordered him to pay £198, which was added to an outstanding court bill of £1,012. He was sentenced to 10 weeks in prison, suspended for one year.