A 46-year-old man has been given a chance to avoid prison after admitting to two thefts in Dungannon.

Thomas McDonagh, of Irish Street, pleaded guilty to taking a parcel containing clothing from a sheltered housing complex on 9 April. The package, worth £21.66, was left for a resident and was identified on CCTV footage.

Less than two weeks later, on 22 April, a petrol strimmer valued at £200 was reported stolen. The item was later returned to its owner.

At Dungannon Magistrates Court, a defence lawyer said McDonagh lived in the same housing complex and took the parcel for no apparent reason. The lawyer acknowledged McDonagh had a very poor record and a history of drug misuse, adding that he had suffered a relapse around the same period but was now engaging with support services.

The court was urged not to impose immediate custody.

District Judge Francis Rafferty said he would give McDonagh a chance but warned that breach of the court order would bring him back to court to face a prison sentence.