A MAN went to a supermarket and stole 22 legs of Welsh lamb, four rib eye steaks and four blocks of cheese valued at £275.

Robert Alan Evison, 39, of Woodwards Walk in Plas Madoc, Wrexham, failed to turn up in court to answer a shoplifting charge.

He then went on to steal baby milk from another store.

Evison, who appeared from custody at North East Wales Magistrates Court at Mold, admitted two charges of theft, failing to answer bail and breaching a community order for an earlier offence.

He received a 26 week prison sentence suspended for 18 months and was placed on rehabilitation.

He was also ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid work and told to pay £85 costs, a £115 surcharge and compensation of £275 to Sainbury's.

District judge Gwyn Jones said Evison had stolen a significant amount of food and said that it had elements of professionalism.

Prosecutor Rhian Jackson said on February 1 Evison was seen apparently peeling off the labels off the meat products which he placed in his trolley and left the store.

He said he stole the items to sell and feed his family.

Evison did not attend court on February 15 but stole baby milks valued at £43 from the Tesco store at Cefn Mawr on February 19.

He had previous convictions for 21 offences.

Defence solicitor Melissa Griffiths said her client had been separated from his family for some three years.

His former partner had reasonably asked for a contribution towards their upkeep but he was on benefits.

He did not have the money and the motivation for committing the offences was to pay towards the upkeep of his family, she said.

Off the shoplifting offences, she said: "He is not very good at it. He was caught on both occasions."