A one-man crime-wave who went on a stealing spree has avoided jail despite admitting almost 30 offences.

Between October and February, Billy Austin stole £1,872.60 of goods and fuel from across Sittingbourne, Sheppey, and Medway.

He even altered his number plate with sticky tape in a bid to avoid detection when he filled up and left numerous service stations without paying.

The 30-year-old, of Cavell Way Sittingbourne, admitted 27 offences, including two counts of forging registration plates, one of going equipped for theft, 15 counts of making off without paying for fuel, and nine counts of shoplifting.

At his sentencing hearing at Medway on August 23, magistrates heard his crime spree started last October in Sittingbourne when he changed a registration plate from HL19 CMY to HL18 OMY.

During the same month, he was found going equipped for theft in Sheerness when he was caught with black tape on him which was believed to have been used to change the number plate.

In November he started visiting petrol stations.

On November 2 he took £129.25 of fuel from Sittingbourne and the next day took £161.03 worth of petrol without paying.

However, Austin then got even greedier, and, on November 9, he visited other Sittingbourne service stations and took £77.65 of fuel on the first occasion, £78.06 worth on the second, and £176.15 worth during his third visit.

His offending continued and he would sometimes hit three petrol stations a day. They included sites in Sittingbourne, Gillingham, and Sheerness.

Christina Rowberry prosecuting said: “It was blatant, he just filled up canisters or the vehicle and then just drove off, usually sporting false plates, so the thefts were planned.”

The court also heard after that, Austin stole from various shops including when he took giant Cadbury’s chocolate bars worth £83.76 from the BP service station in Queenborough Road, Sheerness, on December 11.

The next day he swiped two Oral B toothbrushes from the B&M store in Queenborough, and then just two days later walked back into the store and took some LED lights.

On January 25, he walked into the Sainsbury’s store in Sittingbourne and took five bottles of whisky valued at £140 from shelves and on January 27, swiped multiple joints of meat worth £100 from the Lidl store in Sittingbourne.

Not stopping there, Austin, a father-of-two, also returned to Sainsbury’s a further four times and swiped whisky.

Ms Rowberry added: “He denied the offences during interviews when he was showed the CCTV, but he has now pleaded guilty to all.

“In total, he took £1,872.60 of fuel and goods, there was preparation and planning and he has significant previous convictions of all varieties including robbery and has been in prison before.”

Sara Haroon, defending, said all the offences Austin had committed were drug-related as he was addicted to heroin and crack cocaine.

She said he was taking part in a new trial to try and quit, and was being given an injection regularly to help him stop him taking the illegal drugs.

Ms Haroon added: “He is doing very well on the meds and had not taken cocaine and heroin for years, but after he was released [from prison] in 2019 he relapsed and committed these offences, but he was drug-free for four years.”

Magistrates decided not to jail Austin.

Instead, he placed Austin on a 24-month community order which will see him carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, attend 25 rehabilitation sessions, and complete a drug rehabilitation requirement for nine months.

He was also ordered to attend a thinking skills programme for 19 days and pay compensation for the entire amount he stole to all the shops and petrol stations.

Siobhan Draper, chairman of the bench, said: “You are very lucky to have the support of your father, who is in court today.

“Repay that by staying out of trouble like you have in the past few months.”