A MAN aged 64 was sent to prison after stealing meat valued at £94 from Morrisons in Skipton while serving a 12-month suspended sentence for theft.

Geoffrey Walker, of Welham Walk, Bradford, was locked up for 12 weeks by Skipton magistrates after he pleaded guilty to theft on Thursday, February 5.

Nadine Clough, prosecuting, said he was seen to conceal items of meat inside carrier bags and when at the supermarket check out to pay for a number of low value items, but not the meat.

In his interview with the police later, he said he was "short of money" and planned to sell the meat to raise cash to finance a forklift truck driving course.

Miss Clough revealed he had been disqualified from driving in 2012 under the totting-up procedure and he was sentenced to a community order for a number of shop thefts in 2014.

A ten-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, was imposed in January this year by Bradford magistrates in relation to a number of thefts from shops. "These offences committed earlier this month are in breach of that order," said Miss Clough.

Magistrates were told that Walker's troubles began after he lost his heavy goods vehicle licence as a result of his driving ban and "things had gone downhill since then".

He was demoralised and in debt to the tune of £10,000, and was desperate to support his family of four children aged three, eight, nine and 13. They were worried about him and would be devastated if he want to prison.

The magistrates told him he had shown no remorse and had persisted in offending despite being on a suspended sentence. He was also ordered to pay a £80 victim surcharge.