Judge said Ballymena man's theft of £5 of chocolate was 'not crime of the century' but ...
A judge said a man stealing £5 worth of chocolate from a shop was not the "crime of the century" but he had 55 previous convictions and has now been fined £50, plus £15 ‘offender levy’.
District Judge Nigel Broderick was speaking at Ballymena Magistrates Court to the 41-year-old.
A defence solicitor said the theft in Ballymena was committed after the defendant, Lee Redmond (41), with an address listed as Granville Drive in the town, had been drinking but he had already paid £5 restitution to the shop.