King's Lynn man handed suspended sentence after stealing aftershave
A serial Lynn thief has been given a suspended jail sentence after stealing aftershave as he went to pick up his methadone script.
Tony Archer was seen to put the Gucci fragrance in his coat and walk out of Boots in Lynn’s High Street on September 18. A security guard stopped him outside and called police.
Lynn Magistrates’ Court heard on Thursday that Archer told police he was going to sell the product for £10 in order to buy food.
The bench was told that he had 48 convictions for 148 offences, 77 of which were for theft or similar. A previous suspended sentence had been extended by three months in May.
Archer, 43, of Minster Court, pleaded guilty to theft of the item worth £59.33.
In mitigation, Alison Muir said he had committed the offence as he went to collect his methadone script. He had no income due to being sanctioned for missing a Universal Credit appointment while in prison in August.
Miss Muir said he was now working at the Kinnerton factory.
“He has gone back to work in order to fund himself,” she added.
Miss Muir said he had gone a long period without offending but slipped back after a relationship break-up saw him return to living with previous bad influences.
A probation officer told the court that Archer was making good progress with his post-sentence supervision order.
For this latest offence he was given eight weeks’ custody, suspended for a year, and ordered to pay £122 victim surcharge. There was no order for prosecution costs.
