A Whitland man has been warned by magistrates to stay out of trouble for 12 months after admitting stealing £165 of groceries from a supermarket store.

Thirty-seven-year-old Geraint Rhys Owen, of Llanboidy, pleaded guilty to stealing the items from Tesco in Pembroke Dock, when he appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Prosecutor Rhys Thomas told magistrates that an employee at the store saw the defendant behaving suspiciously on June 9.

“Mr. Owen proceeded to leave the store with a full trolley, without any attempt to pay for the goods,” he said.

Mr. Owen’s solicitor, Alex Scott, told the court that his client who worked as a chef at a local restaurant, had gone to the store and stolen the items as an ‘act of desperation’ as he had amassed a great deal of debt.

“It’s a sad situation, as after an attempt to clear some of his debt, he found he didn’t have enough money to pay for food to look after his daughter,” explained Mr. Scott.

“He would like to convey his apology through the court for this foolish offence,” he added.

Magistrates imposed a 12 month conditional discharge on the defendant, and ordered him to pay costs of £85, a court charge of £150 and a £15 victim surcharge.