Probation for Telford shoplifter who stole trolley full of alcohol from Asda
A serial thief who targeted an Asda store in Telford for the third time and tried to make off with a trolley full of whisky has been spared jail.
Aaron Morris, 33, of Sutton Hill, Telford, had previously admitted trying to steal £272 of whisky from the supermarket when he appeared for sentencing at Shrewsbury Crown Court, sitting at Telford Justice Centre, on Thursday.
Tariq Shakoor, prosecuting, said the theft took place on June 29 this year.
He said: "He attended the Asda store in Telford and loaded a bag in the trolley with £272 of whisky. He covered it with another bag and was captured on CCTV walking to exit where he was stopped in the store."
Morris then claimed he was going to pay for the items at the cigarette counter when he was stopped, but admitted the attempted theft at a previous hearing in July.
Mr Shakoor told the court that Morris had targeted the store twice before, stealing £642 of alcohol in September 2020 and £520 of alcohol in June 2020.
However, Rob Edwards, defending Morris said the defendant was currently working with the probation service to cure his drug addiction, which was described as "the root of his problem".
Recorder Julian Taylor agreed with Mr Edwards and told Morris: "You are on a journey now and you need to put away your bad habits, namely drugs.
"This is a crime. These shops have to put their prices up so normal members of the public have to pay more money."
However, he added that he was "grateful" to the probation service for the work they were doing with Morris, and imposed a conditional discharge on the grounds that the defendant should "carry on what you are doing".
