Thief in court for walking out of Wollaston pub with viagra machine under arm
A thief removed a machine filled with packs of herbal viagra from the men's toilets at a Black Country pub before walking away with it tucked under his arm, a court heard.
Sean Michael Fitzgerald tore the machine off the wall at the Britannia Pub, in Wollaston High Street, at around 9.20pm on March 29 this year.
Dudley Magistrates Court yesterday heard that the 38-year-old had been caught on CCTV. He had left the pub with the machine under his arm wrapped in a black plastic bag. The court was told that Fitzgerald, of Armstrong Close, Stourbridge, had caused £50 damage to the wall. The machine was worth £100 and contained money and tablets totalling £120.
He pleaded guilty to a charge of theft when he appeared before the court. Fitzgerald was given a three-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay compensation of £220.
He also has to pay a £100 contribution towards the cost of the case and a £15 victim surcharge.
Mrs Lynda Gudgeon, prosecuting, told the court: "CCTV stills were viewed by police showing the defendant removing the machine from the wall and walking out of the pub.
"This was how he was identified by police."
Mr Mandeep Bassi, defending, said his client had rehabilitated himself from a drug addiction but now had problems with alcohol dependency. He said Fitzgerald was already serving a community order for an unrelated matter and urged the court to let this continue as he was getting help with his alcohol addiction.
"He has been making great progress with this and has attended every session with the probation service," he said.
"This crime predates him being given this order. I would ask he be given the opportunity to continue getting help."
Magistrates agreed to this when sentencing giving Fitzgerald credit for his guilty plea.
Pub landlord Wayne Etheridge previously said he had been left "shocked" by the theft and had never known anything like it.
