A thief who stole a laptop and computer from a man with whom he had been living has been sentenced to 12 weeks imprisonment.

Peter Green, 32, who is of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to theft at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court today in a court hearing which was punctuated by frequent obscenity-filled outbursts from the defendant.

Green denies two counts of robbery which allege that he robbed women of their handbags first in Wherstead Road, Ipswich, on Friday, March 14, and again in Grove Lane, Ipswich on Monday, March 17.

The theft which he admitted took place in Dovercourt, Essex, on March 8. Green was living with a man he met while he was homeless and who apparently “felt sorry for him” and allowed him to stay at his home.

On March 8 that man woke up to find Green had left the house and taken with him a laptop and mobile phone.

These were recovered at a nearby cash exchange in Harwich and were connected to Green, who had provided the exchange with his National Insurance number and identification when filling in the paperwork.

He would not be drawn on the incident during a police interview but instead relied on a prepared statement.

After these events were described a member of the Crown Prosecution Service brought up the charges of robbery, which she said would be considered by the Crown Court, at which stage Green shouted loudly across the court that he was not guilty of these offences.

“I’m ******* fuming. I don’t rob women,” he said. “Other people were already arrested on those things.”

Mrs Shelley Drew, representing the defendant, said: “You’ll no doubt gather from his demeanour in court that he feels very strongly about the robbery charges.”

Mrs Drew told the court that Green had been sentenced to four years in prison in 2009 for a series of robbery offences, being released last summer.

During his prison spell Green acquired an addiction to Subutex. However he “did well” after his release, meeting a new partner with whom he moved to Harwich and gaining employment.

This lifestyle, said Mrs Drew, unravelled after the couple suffered a burglary. Subsequent police investigations cast suspicion on Green and threw up his criminal past, resulting in his partner leaving him. Green also lost his job.

It was at this stage that he was taken in by the man from whom Green stole a laptop and mobile phone. Mrs Drew said, “perhaps it wasn’t as simple as saying he felt sorry for him”.

Green, she said, had decided to steal the items and take them to somewhere he knew they would be found so that his acquaintance would get them back but he would be provided with some immediate cash with which to change his circumstances.

As Mrs Drew put forward the case for mitigation she was frequently interrupted by outbursts from her client.

When asked to keep quiet by the court clerk Green responded: “This is my life, my life that I tried to change. Who do you think you are talking to? He’s a big man behind ******* bullet proof glass… I’ll slap you all over the ******* court. My life doesn’t mean **** to you people does it?”

Green was sentenced to 12 weeks, of which six will be served in the community. The two charges of robbery have been referred to the crown court and Green was remanded in custody until the trial.

As he left the court he said, “Do you know how many times I’ve been ****** over by you people?”