A MAN who Chester magistrates heard only has a few months left to live has pleaded guilty to shoplifting.

Nicholae Plesea, 47, of Boundary Street, Liverpool, appeared at Chester Magistrates Court on Friday, April 29 to admit the offence, which happened at the Tesco Frodsham Street store in Chester on April 11.

Prosecuting, Emily Comer said Plesea was seen on CCTV acting suspiciously, and put alcohol, baby milk and shampoo into a rucksack and his pocket.

He paid for a scratchcard and bread at the till, but not for the other items, and was quickly caught and detained.

The stolen items, valued at £40.75, were recovered.

Plesea had two previous convictions for four thefts, including two for theft in 2019.

Defending, Mark Evans said while the shoplifting was a "straightforward" and "unsophisticated" offence, he added: "Unlike most people here today there are bigger issues for him than his court attendance."

Mr Evans told the court that Plesea was very ill and had only three to six months left to live. His condition had brought on "great fatigue" and that had meant he slept on a train, arriving in Chester, with no means of returning home.

Plesea stole the items to "sell or bargain" his way back home, but "he was always going to be caught".

Mr Evans said he hoped the court would acknowledge the prompt guilty plea and accept Plesea's apologies.

Plesea was a Romanian national who had been homeless in the UK for about 10 years, and was currently receiving palliative care in Liverpool.

Magistrates handed Plesea a six-month conditional discharge and ordered him to pay £85 court costs and a £22 victim surcharge.