A BRAZEN thief was caught on CCTV taking lighters and a packet of peanuts as he stole more than £1,500 worth of items from a 'bar' in Worcester.

Ben Rogers, aged 33, of no fixed abode, raided a garage which has been converted into a personal bar, in Chesterton Gardens, off Newtown Road.

This was the second time the personal bar had been targeted.

Victim Thomas Guise, director of Smart Wolf Ltd in Foregate Street, caught Rogers carrying out the burglary on CCTV.

Mr Guise, who lives with his girlfriend Jordan Powell, 23, an accounts assistant, said: "As I came in the door to the bar, the main thing I noticed which made me realise something was not right was that a piece of wood, which is going around the wall at the top, was hanging off.

"I didn't think much of it but then I went to check the camera here and I saw our mystery guest. He had a lit torch and he was shining it everywhere.

"We can see him having a nose into everything, then he looks in boxes, takes a couple of little things, then he notices the camera."

Mr Guise said that despite the garage being locked, Rogers broke inside and made off with about £1,000 worth of paintball equipment, radios, a bottle of whiskey and vodka and a packet of peanuts, believed to have been bundled inside a paintball kit bag.

He said: "The garage door was locked so I don't know how he managed to get in. I get the feeling he was quite experienced at this.

"Obviously, he saw the camera and dashed. It has not bothered me but my girlfriend, it has made her a little bit paranoid. I can see how it could disturb some people."

Mr Guise, 28, added: "He stole a few lighters but he checked they worked first – I supposed try before you buy?

"I didn't feel angry, I know this stuff happens all the time."

Rogers was jailed for 30 weeks at Kidderminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday, August 22 after pleading guilty to the burglary as well as other offences.

He swiped £19 worth of meat and was aggressive to staff at Sainsbury's Local on July 31, and stole £48 worth of air fresheners from Asda in Silver Street on August 20.

Speaking on the sentence, Mr Guise said: "The punishment did indeed fit the crime in my eyes."

The burglary took place on August 6 at 11.45pm.

Mr Guise had installed a camera in his garage after a thief stole six or seven bottles of whiskey last January.

He praised the police and highlighted the importance of CCTV cameras.

"I would always have them now," he said. "If we ever move, I will always use them. The police have been brilliant – they have been keeping us updated throughout the process. They have been so helpful."