OPPORTUNIST thief Steven O’Brien popped into a tea shop for a cuppa and left with a customer’s car, a court was told.

O’Brien, 50, of of Holinshed Place, Grange Park, also escaped without paying £1.50 for his tea.

When the charge of failing to pay for the tea was put to him at Swindon Crown Court yesterday he replied: “Not guilty on that. I paid for it,” but after a moment’s thought added: “Oh no, guilty.”

O’Brien had been due to face trial after denying two counts of theft and one of making off without payment.

But before a jury could be sworn in on the first morning he changed his pleas to admit all of the offences.

He had gone to the Town Hall Tea Rooms in Royal Wootton Bassett on last February 28 and had the cup of tea.

As he was leaving the shop in the High Street he pocketed a car key belonging to another customer.

And he then used it to take the man’s Volkswagen Toran people carrier, which had been parked nearby.

Richard Williams, defending, told the court: “You will see the defendant has a long history of offending. He is 50 years of age.

“He is aware that custody will remain an option and that he is at risk of immediate custody.

“He suffers from a bad back, there are underlying alcohol issues. When he was reported for this matter last year the officer who reported him clearly noted he was intoxicated. He also suffers from anxiety and depression.”

He said his client had lived in his council house for a number of years and shares the home with his 20-year-old son.

Judge Peter Blair QC adjourned the case to Tuesday, February 24 and released O’Brien, on conditional bail.

He told him to co-operate with the probation officer making the report, live and sleep at his home address with a doorstep condition to present himself to a police officer should they check on him.

He said “I am going to order the probation service to do a report about you so that I can have a better idea about how you can be dealt with.

“By granting it now I don’t want you to necessarily think you won’t go to prison but I want to know what all the options are.”