A man with 173 previous convictions has been spared immediate prison after stealing a motorised disability trolley and using it to take a television and DVD player from an Asda store.

Garth Ronald Ferguson, 41, whose address was given as a Simon Community hostel in Larne, appeared at Ballymena Magistrates Court on Thursday for sentencing.

The court heard that Ferguson took the trolley, worth approximately £400, and loaded it with a television valued at £138 and a DVD player costing £23 before leaving the store without paying. The total value of the three items was £557.

Police recovered the trolley at Ferguson's address the following month while investigating separate alcohol thefts. On May 1, he entered a Lidl store in Larne three times in one evening, taking Bushmills Whiskey and vodka worth £160. When arrested, he told officers he struggled with alcohol dependency.

On May 10, he also took £17 of alcohol from a Tesco store.

A defence representative told the court that Ferguson was dealing with addiction issues. District Judge Nigel Broderick noted his extensive criminal record and imposed a six-month prison term, but suspended it for two years.

The judge declined to order compensation, explaining that because Ferguson was unemployed, imposing a financial penalty could act as an incentive to commit further offences.