IT began with the theft of a humble 92p can of Heinz spaghetti - and ended with a hefty bill for the taxpayer.

Habitual shoplifter Steph-en Phillips, 23, was found guilty by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court of stealing the 400g can after rejecting the chance to have the case tried by magistrates.

The estimated cost of the crown court trial has been put at more than £8,000.

Last night, there were calls for the scrapping of the automatic right to jury trial for defendants in so-called "either way" cases.

Lord MacKenzie, a former head of the Police Superintendents' Association, said: "Cases like this cost the taxpayers vast amounts of money. It is a waste of time and often just an abuse of the system."

A spokeswoman for Northumbria Police said: "The right to a jury trial for minor offences is currently being looked at by the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Government. We hope that they will take note of cases like this."

Phillips, of Toward Road, Sunderland, who has 30 previous convictions, had denied stealing the spaghetti from a South Shields shop, despite being caught with the can in his pocket. He will be sentenced on May 22.

Previous attempts by the Government to take away the right to jury trial in certain cases have run into fierce opposition. But it is thought it remains on the agenda.