A judge rapped a weeping alcoholic grandfather for snatching a cat sanctuary’s donation tin to pay for his addiction.

The charity, which re-homes and provides care for the animals throughout Kent, revealed it refuses to use collection boxes because so many are stolen.

Philip Goldstone, 56, appeared before Folkestone Magistrate’s Court after making off with the Kingsdown Cat Sanctuary’s tin from the Animal House vets in London Road, Deal on June 30.

Goldstone, a father-of-three from St Andrew’s Close, Folkestone, pleaded guilty to the crime in a previous hearing alongside a string of other offences.

They included the theft of meat from the BP garage in Cheriton Road, Folkestone on July 9 and £40.05 worth of fuel from an unspecified petrol station on July 21.

Goldstone also pleaded guilty to failing to surrender to the court in early October.

The court heard how the unemployed alcoholic carried out the mini crime wave to fund his addiction, which also ignited a breakdown in his 40-year marriage.

On sentencing magistrates ordered Goldstone to clean up his act and handed him 25 alcohol rehabilitation days and a curfew from 8pm-5am.

He was also ordered to pay compensation of £50 to the sanctuary and £45 to the service station.

Sentencing, magistrates said: “There are a lot of people backing you (with your alcoholism).

“It’s down to your motivation to change your behaviour, nobody else can do that for you.”

Meanwhile a spokesman for the Claremont Road cat sanctuary described the theft as a ‘horrible thing.’

She said: “We don’t have many charity boxes anymore because we go to collect them and they are gone.

“This is just another one of those horrible things that happens but nothing surprises me anymore.

“I can’t remember how many have gone missing over the years.

“We rely on donations because they help us pay for the vet bills.”

To make a donation or for information re-homing cats see kingsdowncatsanctuary.org