A green-fingered thief has reenacted the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale by leaving a trail of petals from the scene of the crime.
Graham Wathall, 34, of Ashforth Avenue, Heanor, admitted one charge of theft when he recently appeared in custody at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court.
Theft below the value of £200 is normally dealt with as a summary offence. We have previously written a brief guide to the offence of theft, which readers might find of interest. The maximum penalty for theft is 7 years' custody on conviction on indictment, 6 months' custody and/or an unlimited fine on summary conviction.
Magistrates heard that two hanging baskets disappeared from outside a house in Heanor on the evening of 19th July 2019.
Sally Bedford, prosecuting, said: "The victim had gone to bed and there were two hanging baskets outside her house.
"When the victim's partner came home that morning, he told her the hanging baskets had gone. They checked CCTV which showed the defendant walking past the house.
"He returned shortly to snip the wires that she had around them to secure them to the hanging basket stands."
The victim and her partner followed a trail of petals from the property to the home of Wathall's mother. When they looked over the fence they saw both hanging baskets in the garden.
The police were informed, but by the time they had arrived the hanging baskets had gone.
Wathall is a prolific offender, with numerous previous convictions for theft and offences against the person. Despite his regular practice in the dark art of stealing, it would appear that he is becoming no more proficient at it.
John Wilford, mitigating, told the court Wathall pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.
He said: "He was sentenced on 17th September, for 52 weeks for a number of thefts. His earliest date of release is 15th March.
"If this had been dealt with at the same time, it is unlikely to have changed the length of the sentence.
"He has worked hard during his time in prison. He has battled a drug problem and homelessness. He is coming out with a methadone script and is hopeful he will not come before the court again."
Magistrates agreed that the theft would not have led to a more severe penalty being imposed on 17th September, so decided to deal with it by means of a standalone compensation order.
Paul Dickerson, Presiding Justice, said: "This is a regrettable offence.
"We are going to go with the compensation order and you have to pay that to the victim."
No surcharge is payable when the court imposes a standalone compensation order like this.
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