A Penrith man has been handed a £143 court bill after stealing two Pot Noodles and a drink from a town store.
David Ostle, 34, was caught on CCTV taking the food and a Rubicon drink from a B&M Bargains shop on January 25 this year. He failed to pay for the items, and an alert was sounded on a Shopwatch scene radio to say that the shoplifting had occurred.
Ostle appeared at Carlisle Magistrates’ Court this morning when he admitted one offence of theft.
Defence solicitor Kate Hunter, mitigating, said it was not a case of a defendant stealing to fund an addiction. Ostle had no such issues. “He has been struggling financially,” said Ms Hunter.
“It was two Pot Noodles and a drink to eat and consume. It is as simple as that.”
A lead magistrate accepted it was a low value crime but told Ostle, of William Street, Penrith, but told him: “It is still a theft.”
Ostle was fined £40, must pay £85 prosecution costs, a £16 mandatory surcharge and £2.55 compensation to the business.
