A homeless man who stole alcohol from supermarkets has been jailed for almost two years after his failure to comply with court orders. His barrister said he would likely appear before the courts again or lose his life unless he changes his lifestyle.
Carl Higgins, 41, entered a Tesco store in Cardiff on July 12 and stole alcohol worth £49. He managed to escape with the goods at the time but was later detected on CCTV. On July 23, he entered the same store with another man but was seen by a member of staff. On that occasion, he took two bottles of vodka and whiskey worth £122. A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Friday heard Higgins took a number of bottles from a Co-op store on July 24, but was picked up on facial recognition software.
Higgins, of no fixed abode, later pleaded guilty to three counts of theft and one count of failing to provide a specimen. The court heard he has 14 previous convictions for theft and drug offences. In mitigation, Kevin Seal conceded there was no realistic alternative to immediate custody in his client’s case. He said the defendant had a 10-year period where he was in employment, had a relationship and led a crime-free life. But following the end of the relationship, he lost his job and accommodation and turned back to drug and alcohol use which led to him offending.
Mr Seal said it was likely his client will reoffend and end up back in court, or even die if he does not change his lifestyle and attempt to turn his back on substance misuse. Recorder David Warner sentenced Higgins to a total of 22 months imprisonment and to pay costs of £150.