HAVING recently been released from prison a man went drinking with some friends, but when they ran out he stole two bottles of whisky from a town centre supermarket.

Nathan Law, 33, of Gooch Street pleaded guilty to the charge of theft dating from July 27 when he came before magistrates sitting in Swindon yesterday morning.

Crown prosecutor Keith Ballinger told the court that Law had been seen on CCTV entering Morrisons at Regent Circus shortly before 10pm where he stole two bottles of Bells Whisky. Despite setting the store alarm off as he left with the bottles in his bag he was not detained until police found him later on in the evening where they found him in possession of only one of the bottles.

"He made full and frank admissions to the theft and said he was really drunk and couldn't really remember what he was doing," said Mr Ballinger.

His defence, Mark Glendenning, told the court that Law had spent two weeks behind bars for breaching the terms of his licence.

Law also admitted breaching a conditional discharge imposed in May of last year for an offence of trespassing on the railway which saw him cross two railway tracks at Bristol Parkway before boarding a train heading to Swindon. The train was delayed while he refused to get off.

The magistrates fined him £100 for stealing the whisky and a further £100 for breaching the conditional discharge. But as he had been in custody for one-and-a-half days already they ordered he remain within the precincts of the court until the afternoon and the fines would be deemed spent as time in lieu. He was ordered additionally to pay £85 Crown Prosecution Service costs and a £30 victim surcharge.