AN ASPIRING jazz musician has been jailed for four weeks for shoplifting to buy specialised work boots.Benjamin Weston, of no fixed abode, admitted carrying out the bizarre theft in order raise funds to buy a pair of steel toe-capped footwear so he could work as a labourer.

AN ASPIRING jazz musician has been jailed for four weeks for shoplifting to buy specialised work boots.

Benjamin Weston, of no fixed abode, admitted carrying out the bizarre theft in order raise funds to buy a pair of steel toe-capped footwear so he could work as a labourer.

The 30-year-old intended to do labouring as a stop-gap to buy tools for joinery work.

Charles Riddleston, mitigating, said: "It was his intention to do the labouring as a stop gap to buy a collection of tools because his first love is joinery.

"He could not steal a pair of toe-cap boots as there is generally only one pair on display. He still needs to get a pair of boots, but by buying them not stealing them."

He described Weston as an "intelligent man" with "character and personality" and was "capable of work."

The court heard Weston was a talented jazz musician on the saxophone "could have made it big time."

Outlining the theft prosecutor Gareth Davies said "Weston had entered Gap store in Ipswich with the intention of stealing" and took £78 worth of jumpers.

The court heard Weston has previous convictions and the theft was committed on licence after he served three weeks of a previous six week sentence.

Bench chairwoman Maureen Bateman told him: "This is a deliberate offence of dishonesty.

"It is so serious the only sentence justified will be four weeks' imprisonment concurrent to the current sentence."