A well-known Falmouth homeless man has been sent to prison, after he was involved in a bomb hoax in a local Tesco store.

Sticky O'Rourke, 44, appeared before Truro magistrates yesterday for sentencing, after pleading guilty on April 10.

He was charged in relation to a bomb hoax at the Tesco Metro store on Killigrew Street, Falmouth, on April 7.

Magistrates charged Mr O'Rourke with communicating to Devon and Cornwall Police information which he knew, or believed, to be false, with the intention of inducing a false belief that a thing liable to explode or ignite was present in the Tesco store.

He was sentenced to six months in prison because of the seriousness of the offence, due to his previous criminal record, and due to the waste of public resources used in dealing with the incident.

Mr O'Rourke was also ordered to pay a surcharge of £115 to fund victim services.

A Tesco spokesman said: “We take the safety of our customers and colleagues very seriously and assisted the police with their investigation that led to the prosecution.”