THE mother of a man who has battled with a drug addiction for 16 years has spoken out in court, urging magistrates to give him the help he needs.

Martin Morgan, who was previously homeless but now living at Booth House, was brought before magistrates sitting in Swindon on Monday morning having spent the weekend in custody for a string of thefts last week.

There he pleaded guilty to stealing 30 bottles of Lynx shower gel from Poundland on Thursday, September 8, four bottles of Famous Grouse from Waitrose in Marlborough valued at £64 the next day and £76-worth of meats from M&S on Saturday.

His defence, Philip Hall, told the court that his client's offending had decreased over recent years, with him only appearing in the dock twice in 2014, once in 2015 with Monday's hearing marking his second during 2016 following the imposition of a community order in July.

"After that he experienced grave difficulties with his health and had to be taken off to Cheltenham for emergency diagnosis and treatment for deep vein thrombosis and an aneurysm," said Mr Hall. "He has to think very carefully about what he does with his life."

Addressing the magistrates from the public gallery his mother called upon the bench to ensure he received the treatment he needed to end his drug addiction.

"I have done all the tough love, everything I have been told to do I have adhered to," she said.

"I did support him at the start of this journey when he was 16 and here we are at the age of 31 - nearly 32 - and all the processes they have given him, going to prison, none of them are working. Whatever the court has given him it hasn't worked for 16 years."

She explained she had been researching online and found that there were certain prisons around the country that has special wings for helping people through drug addictions.

"The prisons he has been sent to haven't done the job. He hasn't been in long enough for it to get to grips," she said.

"I haven't got any prison experience it's only from what I have researched. My son won't like me but I am his mother and I want what is best for him and we are no further forward than we were when he was 16."

Chairman of the bench Martin Smith thanked her for speaking on her son's behalf but explained they could not dictate which prison a defendant was sent to, nor were they considering a custodial sentence for Morgan this time.

He urged her to consider trying to secure a place at a residential clinic to bring her son's drug abuse under control.

Instead, he revoked Morgan's current community order and imposed a new 12-month order during which he must complete a drug rehabilitation order under the supervision of the probation service.

He made no award for Crown Prosecution Service costs or compensation to the three stores but ordered Morgan pay an £85 victim surcharge which he deemed as spent by his weekend in court.

But he ordered that Morgan must start repaying the more than £600 in outstanding court fines within 28 days that he owes.

He said: "I think you owe your mother a huge debt of gratitude - you have caused her a lot of trouble over the years and she is still here fighting for you today."