Hungry drunk caught by Beaumont Leys security after stealing fish, Pot Noodle and bottle of cider

A shoplifter took two cans of fish from Aldi before heading to B&M to steal a Pot Noodle and a bottle of cider. Security guards at Beaumont Shopping Centre in Leicester caught Dale Porter trying to commit the second theft and detained him while Leicestershire Police arrived.

Porter, 40, who was drunk, was taken to a police station and interviewed after he had sobered up. In his interview he admitted the theft of alcohol and the Pot Noodle from B&M.

He also then told the officers he had stolen a can of tuna and a can of mackerel from Aldi in the shopping centre earlier the same day. At Leicester Magistrates' Court on Wednesday (November 20) he pleaded guilty to two counts of theft, which were committed on Tuesday, November 5.

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The court heard that Porter, of Fosse Road Central, Westcotes, Leicester, had 44 offences on his record dating back to 2002, including a theft in 2019. But Lara Hockney, representing Porter, said her client was turning his life around.

She said: "It was a very low value of goods and he has made admissions during his interview. He was very candid in admitting the other offence - there was little evidence to prove that [theft from Aldi] without his admissions.

"He had been drinking and struggling for money and food. He acted impulsively and didn't think about the repercussions. I was in the police interview with him and he was very ashamed."

She said Porter had emotionally unstable personality disorder, anxiety, depression and possible ADHD. She said he was also being assessed for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Ms Hockney said Porter had a 12-year-old daughter who he had been banned from seeing for many years. But she said the girl's mother had recently let Porter see the child at weekends, due to him no longer taking drugs.

Ms Hockney said Porter was also coming off alcohol and had not drunk any for the past four days. She added that he was also in a new relationship.

She said: "In his spare time, instead of hanging around doing nothing, he's spending time with his family, he's in a relationship. He's made a real change and he wants to carry on with those positive changes."

The chairman of the bench, Andre Timothy, told Porter: "I want to make it very clear to you that there's an extensive criminal record in your past that works against you. But we note you're making some really positive changes."

Urging Porter to keep making the positive changes, he sentenced him to a 12-month conditional discharge with £85 court costs and a £26 victim surcharge.