A MAN who stole items including knives, perfume and a hairdryer, from Boyes in Skipton, has been given a conditional discharge from magistrates, after they heard he was making steps to turn his life around.

Staff were alerted to David Wain when he entered the Swadford Street store on January 14 because of his suspicious behaviour, following him when he left with a number of items in a bag, the Skipton court heard today (Friday).

Wain, 55, was stopped by a police community support officer, while the bag, containing just under £200 worth of items was recovered separately from a nearby churchyard, the court was told.

He refused to comment in an interview with police, and remained un-cooperative at a second interview, despite forensic tests on the items that came up with his fingerprints.

Wain, who admitted shop theft, had a ‘significant’ previous history, but had stayed out of trouble for three years.

In mitigation, Mohammed Hussain, said Wain had relapsed recently because his benefits had been stopped for 13 weeks and he had stolen because he needed the money. Since then, his benefits had been reinstated and he had been to a job interview, that he was hopeful of getting.

Magistrates told Wain, of Rawson Street, Burnley, they had taken into account his early guilty plea and gave him a 12 month conditional discharge. He will also have to pay costs of £85 and a surcharge of £20.