Sammi Clark filled up car at King’s Lynn and Dereham Tesco stores and made off without paying

A 39-year-old who filled his car up with petrol without paying four times has appeared in court.

Sammi Clark, who stole £206.33 worth of petrol overall, appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday where he admitted four counts of making off without payment.

Prosecutor Colette Harper said that Clark committed the offences on September 12 and 14 and October 1 and 26 2023, twice at Tesco at Lynn and twice at Tesco in Dereham.

Ms Harper suggested to magistrates that Clark should be disqualified from driving.

In mitigation, George Sorrell explained that the defendant was in a “bad way mentally” at the time that the offences took place.

“Medically, he is not in a good way,” added Mr Sorrell.

“He has mental health problems, things have been quite bad for him and he also suffers from diabetes and arthritis.

“It was a mobility car he was driving at the time. He has been out of trouble for 18 years, and the trouble he was in 18 years ago he was represented by me.

“These offences were aggravated by problems in his relationship at the time.”

Magistrates, led by Terrance Geater, opted not to disqualify Clark from driving, and instead fined him £200.

Clark, of Norwich Road in Dereham, was also ordered to pay compensation back to Tesco of £206.33 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £80 and court costs of £60.