Mansfield shoplifter tried to pay off drug debts

A Mansfield man who stole from Sainsbury's to repay back a £200 drug debt was found with a 'detox kit' to help him kick heroin and crack cocaine addiction, a court heard.
Mansfield Magistrates Court.Mansfield Magistrates Court.
Mansfield Magistrates Court.

Wayne Prescott went inside to steal, on December 1, while his drug dealer waited in a car outside the Mansfield store.

He left without paying for a camera and superglue, worth £105 in total, but he was spotted by staff, and police later found prescription drugs, including diazepam, gabapentin and tramadol, on him.

Chris Perry, mitigating, said: “On the day he was sporting a cut to his face which was his dealer’s way of persuading him to pay off the debt.”

He said Prescott was homeless at the time and “was already of a mind to stop using drugs which have blighted his life.”

“He said he had collected a detox kit, designed to compensate for the “rattle” when he comes off drugs,” Mr Perry added.

He was last in court for shoplifting in February 2018, and owes just under £3,000, which he says he has been paying off.

Prescott, 27, care of Park Road, Mansfield Woodhouse, admitted theft and possession of the Class C drugs, when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Friday.

He was given a 12 month community order, which includes a six month drug rehabilitation programme, and ten days of a rehabilitation activity,

He must also pay an £85 government surcharge, but no costs were awarded.