A HOMELESS man has been jailed for nearly two months after going on a stealing spree in Chard to raise money before Christmas.

Michael John Roberts, 41, of Hathermead Gardens, Yeovil, was homeless and struggling to sort out his benefits when he went to the B&Q store in Chard with two other men and stole some power tools before making a getaway by car.

When the police found the vehicle it stopped and three men got out and ran off but the defendant, who was the driver, was caught and arrested.

When he was interviewed he said he was encouraged to commit the crime by the other two men but also admitted a number of other thefts of food from shops.

Roberts admitted to jointly stealing three power tools worth £295 belonging to B&Q at Chard on May 14 when he was brought before Somerset Magistrates in custody.

He also admitted stealing meat worth £40 from the Co-op in Westbridge Park, Sherborne on April 12 and £72.10 worth of meat from Budgens at Sherborne on the same day and another theft of meat valued at £4.35 from Budgens on April 4.

Christine Hart, prosecuting, said on May 14 a member of staff at B&Q in Chard saw a number of males in the store who were bending down and putting items in a bag.

She said: “They later saw the males exiting the store from the entrance with the tools and they then got into a Ford Focus and drove off at speed.

“The vehicle was later seen by a police constable and as he pulled up behind it, it stopped and three males got out and ran off and inside the car he found some new tools.

“A short time later he found a male who was the driver of the vehicle and arrested him.”

When Roberts was interviewed he made no comment and all the tools were recovered.

The defendant was also charged with the other three matters and also admitted failing to surrender to Weymouth magistrates at a previous scheduled court hearing.

Defending solicitor Chris Baddoo said that there had been a large gap in Roberts’ offending between 2007 and 2015, but after serving a recent term of imprisonment he was subject to post sentence supervision by the Weymouth Probation Service.

“Roberts had been homeless and was stealing to survive after all of his benefits paperwork was sent to the wrong address,” he said.

“However he now has accommodation in Somerset and will be re-applying for his benefits again but just seems to have slipped through the loop.

“He admitted stealing the meat but said he got dragged into a situation for the theft of the power tools where he was encouraged to steal the goods in a joint enterprise and was told he would benefit from them being sold.”

The magistrates sentenced Roberts to a total of 56 days in prison and ordered him to pay compensation of £116.45 for the meat but no costs or victim surcharge.