Shoplifter helped himself to hundreds of pounds worth of champagne

Stephen Care-Slade was caught on CCTV with a female stashing bottles into a bag twice in one night at the same store and leaving after removing the security tags.

He was arrested after being identified from the video footage but was given a last chance to stay out of prison after magistrates heard he had changed his life for the better.

Care-Slade, 37, of Juniper Road, Castle Cary, admitted the theft of £480 worth of champagne from Sainsburys on September 13 when he appeared before the court at Yeovil.

Ann Ellery, prosecuting, said that staff at Sainsburys noticed a large section of the champagne aisle was empty and when the CCTV was checked it showed the defendant and a female entering the store at 6.45pm after being dropped off by a vehicle.

“Both were seen to bottles from the top shelf and they returned to the same shop later that evening and went to another aisle,” she said.

“They used a de-tagging device to remove the tags and put them into a rucksack before leaving again.”

Care-Slade was identified from the video footage and the court was told that he was currently subject to an eight-week suspended prison sentence for previous matters of theft.

Defending solicitor Jeffrey Bannister said the defendant had “got into a state” on the night in question and committed the offence but said he had since changed his life dramatically.

“He has moved address with his partner and children and has been working with the Probation Service and also got involved with a local football team,” he said.

He argued that as a result of the improvements he had made it would be unjust for the court to activate the suspended sentence.

The magistrates sentenced Care-Slade to a 12-month community order with 150 hours unpaid work and decided not to activate the suspended sentence.

They also fined him £200 with £85 costs and a £95 victim surcharge and ordered him to pay £480 compensation to Sainsburys.