A thief who stole Lego from John Lewis in Solihull on two separate occasions acted in the 'spur of the moment', a court has heard.
Wayne Kidd, aged 38, swiped £351 worth of items from the store at Touchwood Shopping Centre in January this year.
Prosecuting solicitor Shajah Javed told Birmingham Magistrates Court: 'CCTV showed the defendant entering the John Lewis building. Seeing the toy collection, he produces a bag from his pocket and fills Lego into the bag. It happened on two occasions.'
The first incident took place on January 8, when Kidd stole toys worth £221. He returned to the store four days later, on January 12, and stole Lego and figurines worth £130.
The defendant appeared at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Tuesday, May 19, where he pleaded guilty to both incidents. Mr Javed said the items were not recovered.
The court was told that Kidd last appeared in court in 2017. His defence solicitor, Aftab Zahoor, said that Kidd was going through 'difficult times' with the shop thefts taking place 'just after Christmas and New Year'.
'It wasn't dependency related, it wasn't because of drugs or alcohol,' explained Mr Zahoor. 'It was just in the spur of the moment. He accepts he stole the items.'
Mr Zahoor said Kidd's early guilty plea showed his client expressed 'genuine remorse'. He added that Kidd is currently on benefits, in receipt of Universal Credit.
Deputy district judge Olwen Davis reduced Kidd's fine to 'reflect' his early guilty plea. She said: 'You've had a good record for the past nine years. Before that, you've never been in trouble before.'
Kidd, of Welford Road, Solihull, was handed a £40 fine for each offence and ordered to pay £200 compensation, bringing his total court costs to £280.
