A MAN has been banned from entering a Wrexham pub after stealing leftover food from people’s plates.

Mark Spencer Prandle would go into the Elihu Yale Wetherspoon’s between five and six times a day begging for money and stealing food from plates and the dregs of drinks, Wrexham magistrates court heard.

Prandle, 44, of Napier Square, has now been banned from begging throughout the county of Wrexham.

He was also given a restraining order not to enter the Wetherspoon’s and not to contact or harass manager Andrew Hodgson or any staff.

Prandle also admitted begging outside Superdrug on Regent Street in Wrexham on January 31.  Huw Evans, prosecuting, said Prandle asked the manager of Superdrug for spare change and the manager then saw him ask two people on the street for spare change.

Prandle admitted repeatedly entering the Elihu Yale when subject to a licensee exclusion and whilst there repeatedly begged customers for money, ate waste food, drank waste drink and refused to leave when asked.

That was between January 1 and February 24 this year.

Mr Evans said: “He was taking food off plates and drinking the dregs left in glasses.

“He left when a male member of staff asked him to but would ignore female staff.

He visited five or six times a day and also asked customers for money.”

James Cameron, defending, said: “He has lived in Wrexham all his life and was in the Welsh Fusiliers for three years.

“He has a drug addiction and is a paranoid schizophrenic. He recognises he needs help with alcohol and heroin.”

As well as banning Prandle from begging and issuing a restraining order for him not to enter or contact staff at the Wetherspoon’s, magistrates issued Prandle with a 12 month community order.

They also told him to pay £40 in costs.

After the sentencing Prandle told the magistrate: “Thank you for being so lenient ma’am. I’m sorry about all this. If I address my heroin issues my girlfriend said she’ll be my wife.”

Following the hearing Andrew Hodgson, manager of the Elihu Yale, said: “The staff and management are very pleased with the decision.”

Mr Hodgson said that Prandle had been causing a nuisance for about 10 years and would sometimes steal waste food from people’s plates when they were still sitting at the table.