THIEF Wayne Rose has been told by a judge that his 115-strong list of offences at the age of 38 is shocking.

The comments were made when Rose, of Lennox Drive, Walcot, appeared at Swindon Magistrates Court on Wednesday and admitted two charges of theft from Homebase.

Rose was once known as Crying Boy because he would trick people into giving him money by tearfully claiming a variety of misfortunes had befallen him.

And in 2005 he was given a two-year Asbo in a bid to stop him begging.

District Judge Simon Cooper heard Rose had taken three mouse and rat repellers, five saws in a mitre box, eight combination wrench sets and an extension lead, along with shower curtain rails, curtains, six packs of spool and line and a door handle.

Prosecutor James Burnham said it was 1.20am on April 2 when CCTV cameras picked up Rose in a storage compound at the rear of Homebase.

He was seen rifling through pallets of goods and putting things in bags he had brought with him before moving on to another storage area.

Police on patrol in the area were alerted and went to his house suspecting he had been involved.

“He wasn’t there but he was seen running towards it with two bags which he claimed he had found in the skip,” said Mr Burnham.

When opened they revealed items that had been stolen from Homebase.

Richard Williams, defending, said Rose had been released from prison on January 10 and was still under post-sentence supervision.

“His earlier convictions demonstrate a long struggle with drugs,” he said.

The court heard in a report from the Probation Service that Rose’s supervision was due to end in January next year.

It said that he was working with a drug and alcohol treatment service and maintained that he had abstained from drugs since his release. The goods he stole were not for drugs.

“You have pleaded guilty to your 114th and 115th offences,” said the judge. “At the age of 38 that is shocking.

“You have been to prison but you have still not learned.

“You knew full well what you were doing and you knew you should not be doing it.”

He handed Rose an eight-week prison sentence suspended for 18 months with a three-month 7am to 7pm curfew and told him to pay £115 to victim services and £35 costs.

He also instructed Rose to contact the fines office because he owed more than £830 in past fines and a distress warrant had now been issued to reclaim the money.