£1k worth of skincare products stolen from Boots

 Matthew Shortland and another man were both due to appear at Weymouth Magistrates' Court on Thursday, August 22, both charged with theft from a shop.

The charge states that on April 15, the two men stole Olay skincare products valued at £1,000 from Boots on Cheap Street.

Shortland, aged 44, of Sunningdale Road in Yeovil pleaded guilty to the charge.

The second man  did not appear in court and told court staff they "had the wrong person".

His case was adjourned until November 7.

Elizabeth Valera, prosecuting, said that on April 15, the defendant entered Boots on Cheap Street with another man

“They were both caught on CCTV.

“They were seen taking out bags and selecting £1,000 of Olay skincare products.

“They then left the store without paying.

“Both men were identified through CCTV.

“He has seen the CCTV and accepts it was him.

“The goods were not recovered.”

The prosecution sought £500 in compensation from each defendant to cover the cost of the stolen items

Kenny Sharpe, mitigating said: “He accepts they were high value items.

“It is unusual it is a round figure when it is so high.

“He is massively struggling with his mental health, which he admits has been deteriorating since September last year when he lost his adult son in a workplace accident.

“He accepts he has not engaged with the mental health team for some time.

“This is a blip for him, he has not been in trouble for six years and he probably would not have done it if he was not involved with others.

“He knows the ways to get help and is looking to re-engage with the mental health team.”

Paul Rose, chair of the Magistrates’ bench, said: “Shoplifting is too common.

“It is not fair on the shops or the customers, if everyone did it there wouldn’t be anyone in any shops.

“It was not a spur-of-the-moment theft.

“We do acknowledge your guilty plea and we are not going to impose court costs or a surcharge.”

Shortland was ordered to pay a fine of £120 and compensation of £500.