Burglar admitted stealing booze and crisps from Sutton pub but denied £3,500 total

CCTV captured Adam Spencer and the men removing trays of cans and boxes of bottles from an unlocked outhouse at the Devonshire Arms, on High Pavement, on July 17, last year, said prosecutor Becky Allsop.

The court heard the outhouse was unlocked while decorating was being done.

He and his accomplices were originally charged with stealing £3,508 of goods, including cases of J20, Red Bull, Pepsi Max, boxes of Hula Hoops and Wheat Crunchies, and 14 bottles of gin, vodka, rum and bourbon.

But Spencer, aged 41, of no fixed address, admitted the non-dwelling burglary on the basis he only stole around £200 of goods. The court heard it was unclear how the figure of £3,500 had been reached.

Mark Stocks, mitigating, said the offence took place before Spencer was jailed for ten and a half months in August last year.

“At the time he was struggling with drug addiction,” he said. “He was only released from custody yesterday.”

He argued that the current offence wouldn’t have made a material difference to the sentence Spencer received because the estimated value was only £200.

“The problem is we are unsure about the exact value of the items he took,” Mr Stocks said.

District Judge Gillian Young sentenced him on the basis of his plea and said she hopes he can get support for his addiction.

She departed from the sentencing guidelines by imposing a six month conditional discharge and ordering him to pay £200 compensation.