A Tenby man who walked out of a store in Kilgetty with a basket full of booze and crisps without paying told arresting officers that he’d been an ‘idiot’.

Fifty-three-year-old Andrew David Broadhurst, who gave his address as Newell Hill when he appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court on Tuesday, admitted a charge of stealing alcohol and food to the value of £77 from the Co-op in Kilgetty at the hearing.

Prosecutor Vaughan Pritchard-Jones told the court that the incident occurred on Thursday, March 7, when Mr. Broadhurst walked into the store shortly before 5 pm, placed two bottles of brandy, a bottle of cider and a multi-pack of crisps and ‘simply walked out’.

Mr. Broadhurst was seen by an off duty police officer and taken back into the store where he was arrested.

When asked about the matter, he told officers that he’d just been to the cash point at the shop and told them that his head was not right and up his backside, and that he’d just ‘stolen stuff like an idiot’, before stating to them that he thinks he may need to go to prison.

Defence solicitor Mark Layton told the court that it was a straight forward shoplifting case with the defendant offering a frank and full admission, and the items being fully recovered.

Mr. Layton explained that Mr. Broadhurst had on record a number of serious historic convictions and that he was currently subject to a community order.

“The reports from probation are very positive, but the difficulties he has, is that he will relapse from time to time,” continued Mr. Layton.

Probation officer Julie Norman told the court that Mr. Broadhurst had longstanding issues with substance misuse but his compliance with community order requirements was ‘excellent’.

Magistrates said that they would allow the current community order to stay in place, as well as imposing a new 12 month order for Mr. Broadhurst, to include 100 hours of unpaid work.

He was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85 and an £85 victim surcharge.