A MAGISTRATE who stung an Isle of Wight man for more than £149 for shoplifting, told him the wine he stole proved very expensive.
Lewis Morera-Morgan, of Binstead Lodge Road, Ryde, admitted shoplifting from the Co-op, Ventnor, on May 25, when he appeared at the Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court yesterday (Tuesday).
The 23-year-old stole a bottle of wine worth £8.50.
Morera-Morgan's criminal record includes 23 months' imprisonment for his part in a rooftop siege in Ventnor in July 2021, and another ten months for a non-dwelling burglary in 2022.
Morera-Morgan went into the Co-op at around 10am, hid the bottle under his jacket and left the store without paying, said Liz Miller, prosecuting.
The theft was caught on CCTV.
For jobless Morera-Morgan, Michael McGoldrick said his client had no memory of the theft because he had been drinking.
"He recently lost a close friend and drank that day. Since then, he has stopped drinking and is back in the gym," Mr McGoldrick said.
"It was a slip up — a one-off."
Magistrates fined Morera-Morgan £40, with £85 costs and a £16 surcharge, together with an order to pay £8.50 compensation to the Co-op.
Presiding magistrate Andre Usborne told Morera-Morgan: "It was a very expensive bottle of wine"
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