AN ALCOHOL thief who targeted a city centre Marks and Spencers store three times in three hours has been given a community punishment.

Arrested and released on bail, Barry John Graves, 34, returned for a fourth time to the store on Pavement, York city centre, and stole more alcohol.

Sarah Tyrer, prosecuting, said he was drunk when police arrested him for the second time and officers had to clean and disinfect the van that conveyed him to the police station because he spat in it five times.

Kevin Blount, defending, told York Magistrates Court that his client, Graves, had an issue with alcohol.

Graves, who gave his address as the Changing Lives hostel on Union Terrace, York, pleaded guilty to two charges of theft and one of criminal damage to the police van.

Deputy district judge Joseph Spencer was presiding.

He handed out a 12-month community order to Graves.

This came with 20 days’ rehabilitative activities and the judge ordered him to pay £45 compensation to Marks and Spencers and a £90 statutory surcharge.

Ms Tyrer said security staff saw Graves take a £15 bottle of vodka at 2.30pm on February 22 and get away.

At 2.50pm, he was back in the store once again, and this time he stole another £15 bottle of vodka and got away.

Street rangers were alerted and while they hunted for Graves, store staff checked the CCTV and realised Graves had stolen a third £15 bottle of vodka at 12pm the same day as well.

Following this he was arrested and then later released from custody.

But then later, on February 28, Graves was subsequently back in the York city centre department store and stole a £36 bottle of gin from the aisles.

On that occasion, police arrested him at 3.30pm, when he was drunk.

York Magistrates Court heard that throughout these events, Graves was already serving a post prison supervision order, having served a short sentence for failure to attend court for an earlier offence on another occasion.