A THIEF who breached a court order by stealing booze and deodorant sets has been locked up for eight weeks.

Sean McAvoy, 47, has a criminal behaviour order with conditions not to enter certain stores, Workington Magistrates’ Court heard.

Outlining the case, prosecutor Pamela Fee said McAvoy had entered Tesco in Workington on March 3. He had gone to the alcohol aisle, picked up four bottles of vodka and the walked to the clothing aisle.

McAvoy removed the security tags and then walked out of the store without paying.

Then on March 8, he entered Home Bargains in Workington and placed 12 deodorant sets in his bag and left the store, making no attempt to pay for the goods.  

McAvoy was then found to be drunk and disorderly in Workington on March 11.

The ambulance service was called to a report of a male sleeping in an alleyway in Jane Street. When police arrived, McAvoy was asleep in the back of an ambulance.

He started to become abusive. He agreed to be taken to hospital but when the ambulance stopped, he ran out of the back.

McAvoy was located in a back alley off Oxford Street. 

Ms Fee said the defendant was last before the court in September 2023 for burglary when he had been given a custodial sentence.

John Cooper, defending, said: “Mr McAvoy has only been out of prison a few weeks. He is homeless at the moment. He had been staying at friends’ houses.

“He had some alcohol, gone into an alley and gone to sleep. Someone went to check on him to see if he was ok. He behaved in the manner you have heard.

“The shoplifting offences are relatively minor.”

McAvoy, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to two charges of theft from a shop, two breaches of a criminal behaviour order and one charge of being drunk and disorderly.  

Passing sentence, Sarah Bradbury, chair of the magistrates panel, said: “These offences are so serious that only custody is appropriate.

“There are a few aggravating factors – your previous record, the offences were committed shortly release from prison and you were on post-sentence supervision.”

McAvoy was sentenced to a total of eight weeks in custody. He was ordered to pay a total of £155 in compensation to Tesco and Home Bargains.