A RECOVERING addict stole almost £2,600 worth of jewellery after he “lapsed into old ways”, a court was told.

Rikki Jankowski had initially denied stealing items to the value of £2,566 from Iapetus Gallery in Malvern, but changed his plea and admitted the theft when he appeared before Worcester magistrates.

Sam Dixon, prosecuting, said police received a call from a member of staff on October 19 about a theft.

Officers were informed Jankowski had entered the gallery the day before and asked about buying rings.

The following day he returned and said he wanted to spend £80 on some jewellery for his girlfriend.

While a worker guided him to items in one cabinet, he held open the door to another cabinet, taking rings and a gold chain. He was confronted about the theft when staff noticed the chain hanging from his pocket but he denied taking anything.

One worker then leaned over and recovered the chain and Jankowski left.

Barry Newton, defending, said his client’s offending until 2008 had been as a result of a drug habit and there had then been a gap in his criminal record until September last year.

The 27-year-old was given a conditional discharge in November for shoplifting, which he breached by carrying out two thefts just days later.

On March 16 he was made the subject of a community order with a four-month curfew requirement between which will expire on July 15.

Mr Newton said the October theft took place during a “cluster” of offending when his client had “lapsed into old ways”.

He said Jankowski had been engaging with substance programme Pathways, had been praised for a turnaround in his behaviour since the lapse and continued to test negative for illicit substances. Jankowski had also written to the gallery to express his apologies and regret for his actions and his step-father had provided a character reference.

Magistrates sentenced Jankowski, of Abbey Road, Malvern, to a 16-week curfew order to run concurrently with the existing order and ordered him to pay £85 costs and £250 compensation to the gallery to cover their insurance excess.