Thief put drink in his trousers

Richard Latham was stopped outside Sainsburys, St Andrews Road North, and found to have two bottles of whisky down his trousers and another hidden under his coat.

Latham, 39, of Furness Avenue, Grange Park, pleaded guilty to theft of spirits valued at £90.

He was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £15 victims’ surcharge by District Judge David Scanlon, sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court. Martine Connah, prosecuting, said Latham, who had been drinking, was caught outside the store on November 22 about 4pm.

He tried to throw one bottle of whisky in a bin and told the security officer he had taken a legal high.

Allan Cobain, defending, said his client, had only been released from prison four days before.

Latham had nowhere to live and spent three nights on the streets. He then met some people and they went back to a flat in St Annes where they drank strong cider. The alcohol ran out and it was his turn to buy, so he went to the supermarket to steal some.