A drug-abusing thief who stole electric toothbrushes and cosmetics has been spared jail but told he must “keep his nose clean” if he is to stay out of prison.

Shoplifter James Little took the toothbrushes, worth £69, from the Wokingham branch of Boots on Sunday, March 11, and then stole the cosmetics, worth £31, from the Lower Earley branch of Boots on Saturday, April 21.

Drug user Little, 32, of Frederick Place, Wokingham, admitted both thefts, as well as failure to appear at a court hearing, in front of Reading magistrates on Monday, April 23.

Sarah Neighbour, defending Little, told the court he only committed the second theft as he felt he was not getting help from the Wokingham branch of drug support agency KCA, to which he had been referred after being prosecuted for a previous theft.

Prosecutor Jo Belsey said: “[Little] was seen at the time in Broad Street [Wokingham] walking around holding electric toothbrushes.

“He was stopped and admitted ‘I’ve just had them away from Boots’.

“He was arrested and bailed to appear at Newbury [Magistrates’ Court] but failed to turn up and a warrant was issued.

“While he was on warrant he went on to commit another offence, this time at Boots in Lower Earley. He was stopped outside and admitted stealing them [cosmetics]. He intended to sell them to make money.”

Miss Neighbour told the court Little committed the second theft because he wanted to get caught as he was not getting the treatment he needed for his drug problem and had only missed the scheduled court appearance in Newbury because he could not afford to get there.

She said: “He was not well served by the service then in place, that relates to KCA in Wokingham.

“On one occasion his script was written out wrongly so he had to wait for a further week for his treatment. For someone in Mr Little’s position, going a whole week is very difficult.

“He was also due to have regular one-to-ones with a drug worker but his drug worker upped and left overnight so he had no one to turn to.

“A situation where he is denied his script and denied anyone to talk to about it put him in a very vulnerable position.

“The offence [in Lower Earley] was done in full view of someone Mr Little knows as a police officer – that was his way of trying to ask for help.”

Miss Neighbour added that she thinks KCA has resolved its problems.

The panel of magistrates gave Little a 12-week prison sentence but suspended it for 12 months and ordered him to get more drug treatment.

Chairman of the panel Michael Jackson added: “In simple terms that means you have to keep your nose clean for a year. If not, anything you do will land you in jail.”