A PROLIFIC thief who stole tips left for the staff at a café in the town was so drunk at the time he had no memory of the incident, a court heard.

Steven O’Brien, 52, of Holinshead Place, Grange Park, pleaded guilty to a charge of theft when he appeared before magistrates.

Pauline Lambert, prosecuting, told the court that on September 5 O’Brien had gone in to Caffe Nero in Bridge Street and put his hand in the tip jar on the counter. He took some money and put it into his trouser pocket.

The incident was captured on CCTV and O’Brien was identified and charged with the theft of £9, an estimate of the amount stolen.

Miss Lambert said O’Brien initially denied the charge and much work had been done in preparation for a trial. But he changed his plea to guilty and the trial was cancelled.

Tony Nowogrodzki, defending, said O’Brien fully apologised for his actions. The last few months had been difficult for O’Brien’s large family in Swindon, following the death of their mother in Liden and more recently the deaths of a brother and a sister-in-law.

When another brother was diagnosed with terminal cancer O’Brien had gone off the rails, Mr Nowogrodzki told the bench.

“He doesn’t remember a thing about the theft,” Mr Nowogrodzki added.

“He could not believe that he would do such a thing, which is why he initially denied the charge.”

On seeing the CCTV footage, however, O’Brien realised it was him and pleaded guilty.

Mr Nowogrodzki said O’Brien was now back on the rails and had been doing well in managing his issues with alcohol. He had completed an alcohol treatment and rehabilitation course and was attending all appointments with social services.

He asked for a curfew as a punishment for the theft to tie him down and stop him drinking in public.

O’Brien, who had outstanding court fines of £1,200, was sentenced to a two-week curfew order between the hours of 7pm and 7am.

He was ordered to pay £9 compensation, £120 court costs and a victim surcharge of £85.

In 2015, when O’Brien admitted stealing a woman’s purse on a bus, magistrates were told his record includes 87 thefts and 35 fraud offences. He was jailed for 17 months.