A hapless thief who was caught shoplifting three times in eight days has been spared jail.
Walter Peterson Abbey, 38, started and finished his spree in Macclesfield with a trip to Crewe in between.
On each occasion he was foiled by eagle-eyed security staff watching CCTV footage.
Abbey, formerly of Lansdowne Street, Macclesfield, now of Congleton, admitted three charges of theft and breaching a community order at Macclesfield Magistrates Court.
He was jailed for six weeks suspended for six months.
Kate Marchuk, prosecuting, said: “On May 7 the defendant walked into the Co-op in Hurdsfield and picked up a bottle of Bacardi. He then dropped the bottles and while staff cleaned it up he picked up another bottle and a can of Stella lager and walked out of the store.
“He told police he had planned to get drunk and either throw himself under a car or get arrested.
“On May 8 at Asda Crewe, CCTV operators watched Abbey pick up computer games worth £282 and disappear from view.
“He then appears without the games and a bulging coat and tries to exit the store. He told police he planned to sell them for food. Then, on May 15, he walked into Boots in the Grosvenor Centre and stole a shaving kit.
“When caught he pleaded with security to use their discretion.”
The court also heard Abbey had repeatedly breached a curfew he received as part of a community order for a theft conviction in April.
Lesley Herman, defending, said his problems stemmed from a difficult relationship with his brother who he had lived with until recently.
She said: “He doesn’t get on with his brother, and they both lived with their mother.
“He has finally got his own tenancy in Congleton and is now in a position to put this behind him.”
