A CHARD man who downed half a litre of whisky and half a litre of rum claimed he had no recollection of going thieving to get something for his dinner.

Andrew Thomas Duncan was spotted by a security guard stuffing his jacket with a box of coffee and several bars of chocolate and then walked out of the town’s Tesco store after paying for a pizza.

When he was challenged outside he told them he had been drinking, Somerset Magistrates were told.

Duncan, 53, of Old Station Court, admitted the theft of groceries belonging to Tesco on December 9 last year when he was brought before the court at Yeovil in custody.

Prosecuting, Lucy Coleman said that the defendant was seen hiding a box of coffee in his jacket and then put a pizza on the customer service counter.

“He then selected three bars of chocolate and put two of them inside his jacket, picked up the pizza and walked past the checkout without paying,” she said.

“He was followed by staff who challenged him and he said “I’ve just drunk half a litre of whisky.”

The court was also told that Duncan had 53 previous convictions for theft.

Ray Peters, defending, said it was a low value and unsophisticated theft committed after his client had consumed half a litre of whisky and half a litre of rum.

“He drank to excess, went to the store to buy a pizza, which he did, but did not pay for the other items,” he said.

“He has no recollection due to the amount of alcohol he had taken and accepts it was a stupid thing to have done and it was inevitable he would be caught.”

The magistrates imposed one day’s detention in custody as punishment for the offence which Duncan had already served after being held in the police cells overnight.