Drug addict swiped perfume from chemist when collecting prescription

A DRUG addict sneak thief took the opportunity to steal perfume from a chemist when picking up his methadone prescription.

Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court heard how staff at Boots in Ilkeston heard the alarm sound as James Mitchell left the Bath Street store. The 31-year-old, who has shoplifting offences on his criminal record, later admitted he took the goods to sell, but “panicked” and threw them away.

Now he has been jailed for nine weeks after admitting the offence.

Magistrates told him: “Mr Mitchell you have quite a lengthy criminal record and it is getting bigger. Every time you come out of prison it gets bigger and bigger and bigger.”

Peter Bettany, prosecuting, said the offence took place on December 4.

He said Mitchell, of Boswell Road, Ilkeston, entered the Boots store to collect his prescription and as he left the alarm sounded.

Mr Bettany said: “Staff at the store took the rather unusual steps of contacting the defendant’s support group who then contacted the defendant. He told them he would return the goods, but he did not.

“He then returned to the same store three days later to collect his prescription again and was told to leave as he had been banned.

“He admitted to the person he referred to as his ‘script worker’ he took the items to sell for cash, but had panicked and threw them away.”

Mitchell pleaded guilty to theft and failing to comply with the conditions of his post-sentence supervision by not attending probation service appointments. In March, he was jailed for 16 weeks, suspended for a year for stealing £100 of hair products from Wilko, also in Bath Street, Ilkeston, on February 26.

Tim Haynes, mitigating, said “temptation got the better of him” .

As well as the jail sentence, Mitchell was ordered to pay £80 compensation and a £128 victim surcharge.