Wisbech and Leverington men handed conditional discharges for stealing from Tesco supermarket in King's Lynn
Two men have been handed conditional discharges after stealing from a town supermarket.
Nathan Eichner, 45, and Carl Chapman, 51, both appeared at Lynn Magistrates' Court last Thursday charged with theft from a shop.
Both pleaded guilty to the offence, which took place on February 1 this year at Tesco in Lynn.
Magistrates heard from crown prosecutor Ruth Becker that the pair, along with one other male, had parked in a delivery bay outside the store.
Eichner, of Gorefield Road in Leverington, and Chapman, of The Marsh in Wisbech, then entered the premises and walked to the meat aisle, where they started to fill bags with various products.
They left the shop after making no attempt to pay, and got back into the vehicle.
After being arrested, Chapman made admissions to his role in the incident.
Originally, the men were charged with stealing £30 worth of products. However, this was changed to £29.15.
In mitigation, George Sorrell said: "In line with Tesco's motto, every penny counts."
On Chapman, the solicitor told magistrates that the defendant was blind in one eye and that "times are hard" for him at the moment.
He argued that a conditional discharge would represent a suitable punishment because it had been "a while" since his last offences.
Magistrates, led by Pat Isbill, did indeed hand Chapman a conditional discharge of 12 months.
He was also ordered to pay £14.15 in compensation to Tesco.
Eichner was handed an identical punishment.
In his police interview following the thefts in early February, he told officers he could not remember his role in the incident.
While Mr Sorrell - also representing Eichner - said that his client debated his involvement in the offence, he said he would plead guilty anyway.
"So while he denies actually taking anything, he had some knowledge of what the other person was doing," the solicitor said.
"That is what is shown. He is otherwise a good man."
On the supermarket being awarded compensation, Mr Sorrell joked: "Tesco can afford it."
