Homeless man sleeping in stairwells and hedges stole from pharmacy

A homeless man who was sleeping in stairwells and hedges resorted to stealing in a bid to buy food.Jason Clifford, 42, admitted theft from a shop when he appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.He had walked into Boots on High Street on August 23, selected a fragrance product worth £102, and left without paying.

He was later located on London Road by police officers, leading to his arrest.The court heard that Clifford, who currently lives in homeless accommodation, had 19 previous convictions.Mitigating, duty solicitor George Sorrell said: “Mr Clifford is known to the court. He has chosen a particular lifestyle – he is now 42 years of age and has been in a lot of trouble in the past. “About the time of this offence, he was homeless. He has been making efforts recently to be better behaved.“It is not as though he is a vicious criminal or anything of that sort – he is a very polite person, certainly towards me. “He is more of a nuisance, but he has tried to put a lid on this recently.”Mr Sorrell added: “He had nowhere to live – he was living in stairwells and hedges and things like that, and that is why in the moment he walked into Boots and took their tester (fragrance).”The solicitor said it had been Clifford’s plan to sell the product to make money which would allow him to buy food. Magistrates handed the defendant a six-month conditional discharge, while he will also pay £50 in compensation to Boots.He will not pay court costs or a victim surcharge due to his means.