A MAN was jailed for 12 weeks for a string of thefts in Bewdley, Stourport and Kidderminster which included cash, meat, footballs and alcohol.

Matthew Homer, age 36, of Callow Hill, Rock, pleaded guilty to all 11 counts of theft, plus one count of fraud, when he appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday (April 10).

Homer admitted taking meat to the value of £12 from the Co-op in Bewdley on February 10, and a bottle of champagne worth £21 from Morrisons in Stourport on December 18 last year.

On the same day, he admitted stealing a £10 note and various other items belonging to Joanne Davies in Bewdley.

Homer also pleaded guilty to committing fraud by false representation on March 7 this year, having used someone else's debit card to buy goods worth £105.59 from McColl's and The George Hotel in Bewdley.

Between March 6 and 7, he stole bank cards, business cards and approximately £8 in loose change from Richard Garbett in Kidderminster. He also stole £3 in loose change from Paul Badham and £2 from David Mitchell.

On March 15, Homer stole a bottle of cider and two unknown items from Tesco in Load Street, Bewdley, and two footballs to the value of £20 from Sports Direct in Kidderminster on March 26.

He pleaded guilty to stealing three bottles of wine worth £21.10 belonging to Elaine Homer at Tipplers in Bewdley on April 3, as well as seven bottles of wine worth £49 from McColl's in Bewdley on April 9.

Homer also admitted stealing wine and cider to the value of £18 from Tesco in Bewdley on March 31.

Magistrates said Homer had a "flagrant disregard for people and their property" and sentenced him to a total of 12 weeks in prison. He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £115. There was no order for compensation because of his lack of means.

In a separate case at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, Christopher Bateman, of Silver Street, Kidderminster, was jailed for 10 weeks for stealing drills and headlight bulbs from Halfords.

The 38-year-old pleaded guilty to stealing two headlight bulbs to the value of £29.80 from Halford in Kidderminster on April 9.

He also admitted stealing drills from the same store between March 13 and April 1, and drill bits worth £25 on April 1.

Bateman also pleaded guilty to visiting Crossley Retail Park on three separate occasions between March 1 and April 9 without reasonable excuse, when he was prohibited from doing so by a criminal behaviour order.

He was sentenced to 10 weeks in prison for the offences and magistrates said his crimes were aggravated by the defendant's record of offending.