A man with 151 previous convictions has been sentenced to four months in prison for stealing £96 worth of washing pods from a shop in Portadown.

Gerald John Brampton Wood, 40, of Garvaghy Park, admitted the theft, which occurred at Eurospar on Brownstown Road on January 7.

Craigavon Magistrates Court heard that police were alerted after eight bags of washing pods were taken. The defendant appeared via video link from Maghaberry Prison.

His barrister, Conor Coulter, described his criminal record as appalling and said Wood had found himself back in custody on more serious matters shortly after being released from a three-month prison term.

Mr Coulter told the court the repeated thefts were driven by addiction and emphasised the need to address addiction issues.

District Judge Michael Ranaghan noted Wood’s 151 convictions, several for dishonesty, before imposing a four-month jail term and a £25 offender levy.