A FIREFIGHTER who lost his job stole DVDs from a Chester store in order to make ends meet, a court heard.

Stephen James Bradshaw, 45, had been in the city trying to find work on May 14 this year when he committed the offence at HMV on Foregate Street, as he walked back to the railway station.

He pleaded guilty to stealing goods worth £142 and going equipped for theft, as he was carrying two Stanley knife blades used for removing security tags.

West Cheshire Magistrates Court was told Bradshaw had struggled after losing his job with the fire service in 2011, and had been homeless for a time.

Bradshaw, who is also a qualified joiner, was given a three-month prison sentence, suspended for a year, as well as a 12-month community order at a hearing yesterday. 

Richard Simm, defending, said his client had two children from previous relationships and had been struggling to provide for them.

He told the court: “He hadn’t come to Chester specifically to steal; he was looking for work. 

“He was on his way to the station and he went into the shop. That’s when he took the decision to take the items.”

Sentencing, District Judge Michael Abelson said: “You’ve had a law-abiding life. Like a lot of people these days, things have gone wrong in your life and you have my sympathy. 

“Times are difficult for people these days. But because you were short of money, you decided to go out thieving. 

“You must understand that a lot of people have problems.

“If you go out stealing, it reflects on the rest of society because we end up paying higher prices as stores have to make their money back somehow.”

Bradshaw, of Ullet Road, Green Bank, Liverpool, was also ordered to pay a £180 court surcharge and undertake a 60-day rehabilitation programme.