A CHESTER man was given a conditional discharge after taking a woman’s purse from a village store.
Thomas Ison, 23, from Hoole, pleaded guilty to theft by finding after a woman left the item on the till at the Walker Street Co-op.
Chester magistrates heard how Ison saw the unguarded wallet and put it in his pocket on November 17 at 6pm last year.
After discovering that the wallet contained £140 in cash and a £10 top-up card, the man panicked and left it on a wall.
Police identified the man using CCTV footage at the Hoole store.
He was ordered to pay £150 compensation to the owner of the wallet, as it was not recovered, £43 prosecution costs and was given a 12-month conditional discharge.
