Stole £50 from charity box as part of theft spree from Ballymena shops
A Ballymena man stole £50 from a charity box as part of theft spree from shops in the town.
James Thomas Ward (45), with an address listed as St Patrick's Way in Ballymena, stole the cash from 'The Works' shop in the Fairhill Shopping Centre on January 21 this year.
He also took £200 from a Jack & Jones shop at the centre.
They were technical burglaries, a prosecutor told Ballymena Magistrates' Court.
Ward, who had a record, also admitted stealing a bicycle, worth £360, from the toy department of Cameron's department store in Ballymena on December 19 last year. No goods were recovered.
The defendant appeared via video link from prison.
The court heard how around 8.15am on January 21, CCTV showed the defendant in a service yard and he then entered the mall and went into The Works store at 8.21am before going to the Jack & Jones shop around 15 minutes later.
The prosecutor said the shops were getting ready to open at nine o'clock and they had their shutter half open.
She added: "'The Works' staff indicated that £50 cash had been taken from a charity box at the till area and Jack & Jones staff reported that he had been challenged when in the store. He had crouched down behind the till area and removed £190 in notes and £10 in change.”
A defence barrister said the offending took place because the defendant was feeding a drug addiction. Ward has been jailed for nine months.
The defendant applied to appeal the sentence but Deputy District Judge Alan White said he must remain behind bars until it is heard.