A drug-addicted thief has been locked up after committing a string of shoplifting offences.

Dean Medcraft, 30, stole from shops across the Towns and committed offences while on a suspended sentence.

He appeared before magistrates in Medway earlier this month where he admitted six shoplifting offences, two drug offences and failing to show up for a drug assessment.

The court heard how Medcraft, of Gillingham Road, Gillingham was found in possession of crack cocaine and heroin in January and failed to show up for the assessment to test to see if he had Class A drugs in his system.

Magistrates were also told on various days in March he stole £60 of spirits from a shop in Strood, £39 of Yankee candles from a shop in Rainham and on another day took £90 of whisky from a Strood shop.

In April he stole £80 of meat from a store in the town and then stole beauty items including toothpaste and razors from another store there.

Magistrates jailed Medcraft to 90 days for the offences, but because he was on a suspended sentence when he committed some of them, he was actually locked up for 180 days.

He was also fined £35 and ordered to pay £320 compensation and £85 costs.