A Brean man who was involved in ‘trolley dash’ raids in the region has been given a final chance to stay out of prison.
A court has heard that Nicholas Davis was in a gang that stole nearly £10,000 of alcohol from Tesco stores in Wells and Cullompton by loading bottles into trolleys and leaving without paying.
Exeter Crown Court heard he has recently moved back in with his parents, found a job, and settled down with a new partner.
A judge deferred sentence for six months and told Davis he will not go straight to jail if he stays out of trouble, carries on working, and saves to pay compensation or costs.
Police are still trying to trace other members of the gang which raided the Cullompton store last June, July and August and the Wells store around the same time.
David, 45, of Weston Road, Brean, admitted four counts of theft and was released on unconditional bail.
The total value of groceries and alcohol stolen was almost £10,000. The only items recovered were £800 worth of alcohol seized when Davis was arrested at Cullompton in August.
The thefts from Cullompton amounted to more than £8,000, while the one in Wells netted £976 worth of goods.
