A THIEF who attacked a man in Herefordshire and stole a variety of items including laundry pods and wine has now been sentenced.

Christopher Arrowsmith entered guilty pleas to one count of assault by beating, one count of failing to surrender to police or court bail, and eight counts of theft from a shop when he first appeared before magistrates in January.

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The court heard from prosecutor Valerie Hart that Arrowsmith had assaulted a man in Leominster, Herefordshire, on October 10, and failed to surrender to custody at Telford Magistrates' Court on December 19, having been released on bail in criminal proceedings in Shrewsbury on November 17.

The 38-year-old had also committed a series of thefts from One Stop in Ludlow and Savers in Leominster between August 13 and October 10, making off with goods including washing up liquid and shampoo worth £60, bottles of laundry softener worth £30, cleaning products worth £66.50, and laundry pods and wine worth £46.49.

Magistrates in Kidderminster said that Arrowsmith, of Milton Road, Ludlow, had a "flagrant disregard for people and their property" but that they had taken his guilty plea into account.

On February 8, he was handed a suspended sentence of 24 weeks in custody in total, with an imprisonment period of 12 weeks. This has been suspended for 12 months.

He has also been banned from entering One Stop in Tower Street, Ludlow, where much of his criminal activity took place, for the next 12 months, and was ordered to carry out alcohol treatment for nine months.