A lager thief shuttled back and forth to a York convenience store as he stole 24 cans of alcohol, York magistrates heard.

Gary Lee Walls twice walked out with 12 cans of Carling lager in five minutes, said prosecutor Xanthe Tait.

But when he went back for 12 more cans, a member of staff at the Spar shop, at Clifton Green, confronted him.

He left at once, but he had been caught on CCTV and was known to one of the employees.

Walls, of Hudson Crescent, Clifton, pleaded guilty to stealing 24 cans, and was fined £50 with £50 costs. He was also ordered to pay the shop the £16.98 cost of the beer.

Walls, who was not represented, said he had fallen in with the wrong crowd, but had stopped hanging about with them since the crime.

Updated: 11:42 Friday, March 17, 2006