A shoplifter is awaiting his fate after admitting stealing more than £500 worth of items from six of Falmouth’s shops – and he was already on a suspended sentence.

Jack Edward Pickering pleaded guilty to seven offences of theft from a shop, spanning a five-month period, when he appeared before magistrates in Truro on Thursday.

As reported by the Packet last year, the 38-year-old, of Trevethan Road, Falmouth, is already on a suspended sentence, after admitting he stole six bottles of wine from a Spar store in the town last year.

He was described as a “prolific shoplifter” at the time of his sentencing last June, when he was given a 12-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months.

The first of the latest shoplifting offences took place just eight weeks after he received that sentence.

On August 19 last year, Pickering stole £60 worth of items from Select Convenience Store in Berkley Vale.

This was followed by the theft of £70 worth of items belonging to Spar West Place/Albany Road on October 17 last year, then theft of £28 worth of items from WH Smith on October 20 last year, and stealing £185 worth of items from Holland and Barrett on the same date.

The next day, on October 21 last year, Pickering stole bottles of alcohol, the value of which is unknown, from the Co-op in Falmouth, and on December 15 last year he stole bottles of spirit worth £168 from Tesco Express.

He was then back to the Co-op on January 6 this year, when he stole alcohol, pasties, a bottle of water and a bottle of Lucozade, with the value again unknown.

In total he stole £511 worth of known value items, in addition to the further items for which the value is not known.

READ NEXT: Man who sent fake bomb that closed down village back in court

Pickering was remanded on unconditional bail until a date in April, when he must return to be sentenced.

Magistrates asked for the case to be adjourned so that a pre-sentence report could be prepared, to include a possible mental health treatment requirement.