A VULNERABLE teenager stole sweets after being released from prison because he hadn’t eaten for two days, Llandrindod court heard this week.
Josh Lewis Leverett, 18, of Lant Avenue, pleaded guilty to two counts of shoplifting from Tesco.
Llandrindod Magistrates’ Court heard that around 5pm on Friday, April 22, security staff at the Tesco store saw the defendant leaving the premises without a shopping bag, removing items from his trouser pockets.
Stephen Davies, prosecuting, said the security staff followed him but he ran off. The store’s CCTV showed him putting sweets in his pockets, the court heard.
The next day the defendant entered the store again, putting sweets, chocolate and biscuits in his pockets, and paying for some of them but not all. This time the security staff recognised him and caught him as he was trying to leave.
In interview, he admitted both offences.
Colonel Van Rees, mitigating, said Leverett had returned to custody in March this year and did not have much money upon release.
“He was cast into the world to do the best he could,” said Colonel Van Rees. “He had been wholly without food for two days. The motto of Tesco is ‘every little helps’, and under the circumstances he felt that rather than starve he helped himself to a little.
“The system doesn’t operate as well as it might,” the Colonel added. “When vulnerable people like Josh are let out of prison, the everlasting arms which are meant to be there to support them very frequently aren’t.”
Magistrates said Leverett’s past record did not make very happy reading.
“You are a young man of only 18. Do you want this lifestyle? You have a choice, to keep on and end up where you don’t want to go, or change, the choice is yours.”
They sentenced Leverett to a 12-month conditional discharge and to pay a contribution towards costs of ￡50.
