‘Brought his thieving to the Banbridge area’

Karl Gustaff Ross, Dufferin Square, Bangor, appeared last Thursday at Banbridge Magistrates Court.

He admitted the theft of earphones, valued at £36, from Tesco at The Outlet retail park in Banbridge on November 9 last year.

Ross, who at that time had an address at Leamount Park, Banbridge, was sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for two years, and he was ordered to pay £36 compensation.

For breach of a conditional discharge imposed at another court he was sentenced to three months, also suspended for two years.

The prison sentences are to run consecutively making a total of seven months.

Fines of £100 and 12 month bans were imposed for driving without insurance and without a licence on October 4 last year.

He was also ordered to pay a £15 offender’s levy.

The court heard that at 4.30pm police went to Tescos at the retail park after a report of a shoplifter having taken a pair of earphones.

Ross was identified on CCTV.

The earphones were never recovered.

On October 4 at Lurgan Road, Banbridge, police saw a car towing a trailer.

The trailer had a flat tyre and police stopped the vehicle to alert the driver.

They asked Ross for his licence and insurance and asked him to produce it within seven days but he subsequently failed do so.

It later turned out the defendant did not have a valid licence or insurance.

A barrister representing the defendant said he found himself in Banbridge because of the break up of a relationship in Bangor.

He had now moved back to Bangor.

District Judge, Mr Paul Copeland, warned Ross if he did anything like this again he would face jail and that he had brought ‘his thieving ways’ from north Down to Banbridge.

The barrister said Ross accepted he had a significant record.

But he asked the court to give his client an opportunity.

Imposing the sentences District Judge Copeland told the defendant that he was a ‘persistent and remorseless thief’.