A SERIAL thief who menaced shops in Colchester and Halstead snatched more than £4,000 worth of alcohol across a twomonth spree.

Scott Butcher, 34, stole the booze from Co-op and One Stop stores on 22 occasions between May 25 and July 9 last year.

Ipswich Crown Court heard the thefts were driven by his need for money to feed his drug addiction.

Daniel Setter, prosecuting, said: “Mr Butcher goes into the shop concerned, selects a number of bottles of alcohol and then leaves. On some occasions leaving with the shopping basket he’s picked up on entering the shop.”

The Co-op reported a loss of £3,890 in stolen alcohol.

The court heard in July last year, Butcher breached a nonmolestation order in place to protect his former partner.

He did so by telephoning her and asking for contact with his son.

In April last year, officers detained Butcher in Colchester for a drugs search, finding a small amount of amphetamines.

Butcher, who has 32 convictions for 100 offences, made full admissions to carrying out the thefts, breaching the non-molestation order and possessing a Class B drug.

He admitted 22 counts of theft, breaching the order and possession of amphetamines.

In mitigation, the court heard Butcher, of Priory Street, Colchester, had been stealing to feed an “absolutely crippling” addiction to Class A drugs.

The court was told Butcher targeted the Co-op on 20 occasions due to “the way the security operated there”, although the thefts were “not sophisticated”.

He appeared via videolink from Norwich Prison, where he is serving a 17-month sentence for burglary, theft, assault and another breach of the non-molestation order.

The court was told since Butcher has been in custody, he has become an enhanced prisoner, “completing courses when he can”.

Recorder Graham Huston sentenced Butcher to an additional three months imprisonment.

He said: “I told you in December you cannot act with impunity in relation to theses offences.

“Offending of this nature in future will result in immediate sentences, that’s the stage you’ve reached, in fact it’s the stage you reached some time ago.”