A MAN has been ordered to complete 40 hours of unpaid work for stealing alcohol from a petrol station.
Jamie Ward, of Holly Mount Road, pleaded guilty at Worcester Magistrates Court last Friday (May 1) to stealing alcohol from Texaco Garage on Tolladine Road.
Owen Beale, prosecuting, told the court the 29-year-old was drunk when he went into the garage at about 9pm on March 8.
He selected his alcohol and went to the till where he put in his card which got declined.
Ward left anyway and the shop assistant went after him, making several attempts to tell him he had not paid, when his friends appeared and the police were called.
He said he did not know the card had not been accepted.
Defence solicitor, Barry Newton, said: “At the time of this offence he was in very low mood and was not interviewed on that day as he was referred to the local hospital for assessment.”
Ward has also referred himself to Pathways in an attempt to sort himself out, the court heard.
District Judge, Jim Tindal, said: “You are a relatively young man and have kept yourself out of trouble until relatively recently.
“You were imposed a community order a couple of months ago and it was explained if you committed another offence the court would take that seriously.
“If you had not referred yourself to support I would be taking a more serious view.
“If you do this again you may be going to prison, it may not seem that serious but it is made more serious by breaching a community order.”
He ordered Ward to pay £4.95 compensation to the service station, £85 in court costs and a victim surcharge of £60.
