Crook with 110 offences pilfered more than £1,200 of Hugo Boss clothes from Shirebrook store

Lee Shipman, aged 36, stole jackets worth nearly £770 and T-shirts valued at £500 from Pro Sports Equipment, Brook Park East Road, Shirebrook during three raids between September and December last year.

He also pilfered pork joints worth £200 from Aldi on January 24 this year, while serving a suspended sentence for various other offences at the time.

Derby Crown Court heard none of the stolen items were recovered, while Shipman had 30 previous convictions for 110 offences.

Shipman, of Langwith Road, Langwith Junction, admitted four counts of shop theft and breaching a suspended sentence.

Lesley Pidcock, mitigating, said Shipman he had resorted to thieving after losing benefits payments while swapping from Universal Credit to the Personal Independence Payment after being diagnosed with anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

While the claim was being processed, Shipman’s state benefit was reduced to £83 a month – leaving him with just £16 a month to survive on after paying rent.

Ms Pidcock said her client’s mental health problems arose after he was attacked with a hammer while homeless and asleep in a sleeping bag.

She added: “He has struggled with homelessness and his offending is not drug-related.”

Jailing him for 40 weeks, Judge Jonathan Bennett told Shipman his record was “horrendous”.

He told Shipman: “I recognise you have had some difficulties but you were not stealing for sandwiches or a few tins of soup – you were taking high-value items.”