A THIEF stole two bottles of perfume and two pairs of tweezers from Boots in Ipswich, a court has heard.

Ronald Pinney, of Brooksfield, Bildeston, appeared at South East Suffolk Magistrates’ Court yesterday where he admitted theft.

On July 14, the court heard Pinney was spotted on CCTV concealing two boxes of fragrance before leaving Boots without paying for the items.

As a store security guard was watching the footage back he saw Pinney re-enter the shop and steal the pairs of tweezers.

The 57-year-old was stopped by the store security guard and town rangers in Lloyds Avenue.

The property, which was valued at �168, was all recovered and Pinney admitted what he had done to police straight away.

Speaking on behalf of her client, J. Akpogheneta said after spending 20 years in prison for violent offences, Pinney had been left emotionally “ill-equipped”.

Following the death of his partner’s mother he acted as he did for “some inexplicable reason”, she told the court.

Depsite being subject to a suspended sentence of 26 weeks in prison, suspended for two years, District Judge Celia Dawson said she would not activate the punishment.

She said: “It would not be just to do so.

“The offence is very different to that matter you got the suspended sentence for.”

Instead she made the terms of the sentence more onerous, adding a curfew for six weeks from 9pm to 7am, to be monitored by a tag.

For the theft Ms Dawson fined Pinney �50, ordered him to pay �50 towards the prosecution costs and a �15 victim surcharge.