A thief who helped himself to products worth thousands of pounds from Next has walked free from court.

Aijaz Patel from Bolton stole items with a combined value of more than £6,500 from the popular retailer in Warrington over a period of months.

The 29-year-old was hauled before Warrington Magistrates’ Court to be sentenced at on Tuesday, January 24, after being charged with theft from a shop and fraud by false representation.

While he was told that the severity of his offending merited a custodial sentence, magistrates added that he would not be heading straight to prison on this occasion.

The court heard how the offences occurred at a Next store in Warrington between June 20 and November 23 last year.

Patel pilfered various electrical items, clothing and perfume to the value of £6,551 in total.

A further offence of fraud was committed on November 23 after he was caught making a false representation.

The defendant was selling a light fitting stolen from Next to make a financial gain for himself.

Before sentencing, chair magistrates Lynn Colter-Howard remarked that only a custodial sentence was appropriate given the fact that the offences were so serious.

This was due to Patel displaying a breach of trust, the high value of the items stolen and the ‘significant’ period over which the offences were occurred.

However, taking his guilty pleas into account, it was concluded that magistrates were prepared to suspend the sentence.

This was due to the defendant’s lack of previous convictions, his ‘realistic prospect of rehabilitation’ and a judgement that he ‘will not reoffend’.

Patel, of Lonsdale Road in Bolton, was sentenced to 52 weeks in prison suspended for 24 months.

He was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work in and for the benefit of the community, as well as pay compensation to Next of £6,551 for the items he stole.