A PERSISTENT thief stole champagne after police released him on bail for shoplifting offences, York Magistrates Court heard.

Lee Paul Haigh, 46, is now starting his third community order in five months for shop thefts in the city.

In July he stole from Morrison's Foss Islands Road store and Marks and Spencers' garage shop on Lawrence Road.

In August magistrates banned him from the store as part of his punishment.

But he responded by stealing from Morrison's Acomb store.

On September 5, he was given a 12-month community order for that, plus resentencing for the other offences.

But on September 1, he stole £68.78 from the Lawrence Street store, and after he appeared in court, he stole £63 from the Co-op store in Paragon Street. He also stole from Sainsbury's in Foss Islands Road.

Caught and released on bail in November, he stole two bottles of champagne worth £49 from Marks and Spencers in Parliament Street.

But staff at the store caught him, retrieved the alcohol, and he was arrested.

Sitting with two other magistrates, Malcolm Smith told Haigh: "You really cannot just simply go on going into shops stealing at will."

Haigh, of Rosemary Place, central York, pleaded guilty to the September and November thefts and asked for a fourth offence of theft to be taken into consideration.

Magistrates revoked the September community order and sentenced him for all offences including those committed in July.

The order included 25 days' rehabilitation activities and a nightly curfew from 7pm to 7am for eight weeks.

He was also banned for 12 months from all the shops he had stolen from.

He must pay £243.64 compensation to the stores he stole from in September and a £90 statutory surcharge.

Defence solicitor Jane Maloney said Haigh had been going through a bad period and taking drugs at the time, but was now putting his life back together.