A MAN who enjoyed an Ipswich town centre shopping spree using his brother's bank card has been punished with a community order.Stephen Polley paid for a £95 watch from Goldsmiths jewellers and a £60 mobile phone from catalogue store Index with brother David's Nat West card in April 2005.

A MAN who enjoyed an Ipswich town centre shopping spree using his brother's bank card has been punished with a community order.

Stephen Polley paid for a £95 watch from Goldsmiths jewellers and a £60 mobile phone from catalogue store Index with brother David's Nat West card in April 2005.

Polley, who pleaded guilty to obtaining property by deception, also asked for a number of other similar offences to be taken into consideration. These included using the card to purchase a £15 book from The Works, a £10.20 rail ticket and obtaining £51 from Tesco.

South East Suffolk Magistrates Court heard how Polley had been living with his brother, who is now dead, in Ipswich at the time.

Mitigating, Diana Infanti told the court the 56-year-old had “fallen on hard times” and described him as “destitute”.

She continued: “Mr Polley was not working and he was homeless.

“At around this time, he moved in with his brother in Ipswich. His brother was comfortably off and offered to help him out.

“He gave him his bank card and told him to get money for himself, but temptation got the better of him and he helped himself to money he was not entitled to.”

It emerged Polley had a number of previous convictions for theft, the most recent of which was in August last year, when he received a custodial sentence.

Since then, Mrs Infanti said Polley, of Worcester Court, Clacton on Sea, had overcome a drink problem, secured his own flat and was working part time.

She continued: “He made full admissions in interview and also admitted the other offences.

“He is now on good terms with his family and is very sorry about these offences.”

Magistrates gave Polley credit for his early guilty plea and sentenced him to a 12-month supervision order. He was ordered to pay £43 costs.