Prolific Gilford shoplifter took items from Tesco

Vytautas Verseckas (56), Mill Street, Gilford, admitted the theft of goods valued at £65.57 from Tescos and going equipped for theft on November 26 last year.

For each offence he was sentenced to four months in prison. The court heard police went to Tescos in Banbridge after the report of a theft and staff had detained two males.

They had a black lap top bag which was foiled lined.

When interviewed the defendant said he had come to Banbridge on a bus to see a man about a job and they drank two cans of beer together.

He claimed that the other man told him to put a bottle of wine in the bag and leave the store. CCTV also showed two bottles of cognac worth £55.57 being stolen.

A barrister representing Verseckas said his client had other matters before Dungannon court. His bail had been revoked and he was in custody.

He explained that the defendant did have a job but he contracted a condition which left him unfit for work and he turned to crime to sustain him.

He had an alcohol problem and given his record there was inevitability about his sentence. Deputy District Judge, Mr Paul Conway,told Verseckas he was ‘a prolific thief’ and ‘a prolific liar’.

The judge said he was certain this bag was not given to him by a random person.

He added that custody was inevitable but regardless of the length of the imprisonment it did not appear to act as a deterrent.

“If you do not stop stealing not only will the periods of imprisonment become longer you will be appearing in the Crown Court where the length of imprisonment is in years rather than months,” the judge told the defendant.