'Hopeless' thief scores legal hat-trick appearing 3 times in 3 days at Blackpool Magistrates' Court

Hugh McInnes, 46, was told by Philip Clayton, the chairman of the Bench at Blackpool magistrates court: “I think three times in three days is some sort of record.

“We hear you want to get back to Manchester.

“We are giving are giving you the chance because it’s what the people of Blackpool deserve.”

Last Monday McInnes of Gorton Lane, Gorton, Manchester appeared in court when he was found in Blackpool at a friend’s home by police who had a warrant for his arrest for a shoplifting offence at Manchester’s Piccadilly railway station.

He was given a 12-week curfew to be served a his home address.

However, he never got back to Manchester and was arrested in Blackpool later that day for another shoplift offence.

On Tuesday he received four weeks extra on his curfew time for that offence.

He left the cells with a travel warrant but that was not accepted by railway station staff because of a date mistake.

So to raise money to buy a ticket, he stole razor blades valued at £175 from Sainsbury’s for which he was arrested and ,held in the cells, and appeared in court on Wednesday.

Sentencing him to another four weeks on his curfew Mr Clayton told him: “You are not a very good shoplifter are you? You are hopeless.”

His lawyer Howard Green said: “This has been a first for me the same client three days on the trot.”