PROLIFIC thief Leon Symonds could face jail after admitting to some sophisticated hauls from shops around Swindon in recent months.

In a number of incidents through May and June, Symonds was caught on CCTV taking expensive items from stores and leaving them by the fire exit before sneaking them into waiting vehicles.

One of the most expensive was a £1,500 roll of artificial turf stolen from a B&M store.

Symonds, 29, of no fixed address, has amassed previous convictions for theft and is currently on bail to return to courts in Oxford.

Admitting three counts of theft at Swindon Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, Symonds asked for two further offences to be taken into consideration.

Pauline Lambert, prosecuting, told the court: “These offences are group planned and of a reasonable amount of value.

“On June 10 the theft from Waitrose involves going in and taking £38 worth of alcohol.

“Another matter is fairly straightforward and simply involves taking an electric toothbrush.

“The highest value involved in these offences involves £1,500 worth of artificial turf from B&M stores. He is seen to be on the site for about an hour and is seen to cut a roll of turf and leave it close to the fire exit of the store.

“He then turns up 20 minutes later, picks up the roll and exits the store through the fire exit. He puts the roll into the boot of a waiting vehicle and gets into the passenger seat as the vehicle is driven off with two other people inside.

“He will give no information as to where that turf is taken or who has it now. Garden furniture is also taken, when Mr Symonds uses his own vehicle to load the furniture in to the car and takes off with the goods.

“It seems with Dunelms, when he takes bedding, he is seen to run out of the fire exit carrying the goods in to a waiting vehicle and another male drives the car away.

“There is certainly a degree of planning in relation to many of these offences.”

Alex Daymond, defending, said: “The threshold for a community order, if not custody, has clearly been crossed.”

Symonds was released on conditional bail not to enter any B&M, Boots, Waitrose or Dunelms store in the country while the probation service prepares an all-options pre-sentence report.

Symonds asked the court: “Only in Swindon though? These were committed in Swindon”, but was told the restrictions would apply nationwide.