A THIEF has avoided being sent to prison after stealing from shops in Hereford.

Jamie Ellis admitted eight counts of theft from a shop when he appeared before magistrates in Hereford this month.

He made off with a crate of Stella and more alcohol, several meat products, and three Oral-B electric toothbrushes from supermarkets in Hereford including Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsburys, Co-Op and Asda.

He admitted to committing the thefts and was handed a suspended sentence.

The 32-year-old, who was represented at a hearing on March 8 by defence solicitor Chris Read, was said to have a previous record of stealing.

Magistrates said they believed his offending was too serious not to impose a custodial sentence.

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Ellis, who is of Springfield Avenue in Hereford, was handed a suspended sentence of 10 weeks with two weeks of imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.

He was ordered to pay compensation for the stolen items, which had a total value of at least £820.60. No prosecution costs were ordered to allow for compensation payments to take priority.

He also pleaded guilty to one count of assault by beating, with prosecutor Lauren Millichip saying he had beaten a woman in Hereford on February 17. Magistrates did not impose a separate penalty for this offence.