Homeless man admits stealing food and sunglasses from Shrewsbury branch of Boots

Sean Thomas Hurcombe, of no fixed address, was recorded on CCTV taking sushi and dessert pots from the chilled food section of Boots, in Pride Hill, on June 17, 2023, and putting them in his rucksack.

He then walked up to the second floor to the sunglasses section.

Outside the store he was stopped by a town ranger and found to be in possession of a pair of sunglasses.

Telford Magistrates Court was told on Tuesday that the total value of the goods was unknown.

Senior prosecutor Joanne Fox said the incident put Hurcombe in breach of a conditional discharge he had received at court on June 13 for shoplifting.

Kate Cooper, of Hatchers, mitigating, said it was a straightforward case. He had taken the sunglasses to wear on a sunny day, she said. On exiting the store he had set the alarms off and the glasses had been retrieved.

She said Hurcombe had been homeless in Shrewsbury for a number of months and uses the services of Shrewsbury Ark.

"The offence was on a Saturday and involved him getting some food," she said. "He is homeless and needs support."

The offence put him in breach of a conditional discharge and a ban on him entering the town centre.

"He has numerous reasons to use the town centre," she said. This includes him having his GP surgery there.

"He drifted into the shop," Miss Cooper said.

Miss Fox said the police were working on a community behaviour order for Hurcombe to stop him going into town centre shops.

But the case was originally listed to be dealt with on August 22 and the police could not produce their paperwork in "short notice" for Tuesday's hearing.

The magistrates agreed to adjourning the sentencing to August 22 for a pre-sentence report to prepare assessments and to give time for a criminal behaviour order to be drafted.

Magistrates conditionally bailed Hurcombe not to enter shops in Shrewsbury town centre and to appear before them for sentencing on August 22.