A shoplifter has been warned he face prison if he commits another offence in the next 12 months.

A judge told Robert Thornton that there would be ‘significant consequences’ if he appeared before him again as he gave him one last chance.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the 41-year-old stole goods worth £400 from House of Fraser and Boyes while he still had one day left of a previous suspended sentence hanging over him.

Jonathan Gittins, prosecuting, said Thornton targeted the businesses in Middlesbrough town centre in January this year.

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The court heard how he was serving a suspended sentence for two non-dwelling burglaries when he admitted the three shoplifting offences.

Judge Jonathan Carroll sentenced Thornton to a 12-month community order.

He said: “You seem to be making problems for yourself and you have nobody to blame but yourself – you committed these offences while you were on a suspended sentence order.

“Those orders run until the day they run out and before it ran out you were committing shoplifting offences.

“People say it is only shoplifting but those shops and the services they offer are vital to their communities they are in and people need them to access the products that they make available.

“The shops in Middlesbrough are having a hard enough time as it is without people shoplifting from them.”

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Ordering him to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work, the judge added: “You don’t have a history of complying with orders so I am going to make it clear that if you breach this one, you will come back before me.

“I’m looking you in the eye now – if you breach this order their will be consequences for you and I cannot rule out any sentence.

“If you commit another offence in that time all bets are off.”

Thornton, of Bouch Street, Shildon, was also ordered to pay £100 in compensation to the companies.