Shoplifter resorts to scavenging for food in bins, court hears

A court heard how a shoplifter who was caught stealing perfume and wine has had to resort to scavenging for food out of bins to feed himself.Romans Semjonovs, 44, of Blackfriars Road in Lynn, appeared at the town’s magistrates court on Thursday when he admitted two counts of theft.Prosecutor Lesla Small said that both thefts took place on March 20, when Semjonovs went into One Beyond in Lynn and put a bottle of perfume worth £5 in his jacket and left without paying.

Shortly after, he went into M&S and took a bottle of wine worth £8 and again left without paying.He was seen on CCTV on both occasions and was arrested shortly after. By committing this offence, Semjonovs put himself in breach of a suspended sentence order placed on him for drink driving, meaning he was at risk of being sent to prison for 12 weeks.However, magistrates decided not to activate that sentence and instead extended the suspended sentence by six months, handed him a six-month conditional discharge and ordered he pay a £26 victim surcharge.In mitigation, Andrew Cogan said: “He is unemployed and stole out of desperation.“He says he was going to drink the wine and was going to give the fragrance to a friend. “The saddest aspect of this is that he has no income, no benefits and supports himself by scavenging for food in bins.”Mr Cogan said it would be unjust to activate that prison sentence as the theft was of low value.