A desperate father cheated supermarket giants after using old reduced price stickers to buy prime  cuts of meat for 4p and 5p.

Daniel Jones collected the discount  stickers from his shopping at Tesco in  Chester and Asda in Ellesmere Port  before reusing them to get the bargain  shop.

The 29-year-old was arrested after using the stickers to buy steak, beef and a  leg of lamb worth £44.70 – for just 32p.

Appearing before Chester magistrates  on Friday (December 20) Jones, of Shot  Tower Close, Leadworks in Chester,  pleaded guilty to one count of going  equipped and one count of fraud – he was  sentenced to a three-month community  order.

The father-of-one attempted to cheat  the system after his benefits were cut  leaving him struggling to feed his  five-year-old son, the court heard.

On November 19 this year Jones  walked into Asda in Ellesmere Port and  picked up packs of steak, beef and a leg of  lamb before sticking the discounted labels on them using Blue-Tac.

Security guards watching the store’s  CCTV saw Jones and an unknown female huddle together in the aisles - when  they parted the items had yellow  Whoops stickers on.

“Each of the items had about 4p or 5p  stickers on them,” said Rob Youd, prosecuting.

“They went to the self service checkout. The total of the shop came to 32p.  The defendant paid for the shopping and  left the store with the female, they were  stopped by security outside.”

Jones, who was cautioned for the same  offence at Tesco on Frodsham Street,  Chester in September, had more stickers  on him when he was searched by guards  outside the store.

Defending, Philip Marshall-Thomas  said Jones had decided to commit the  offence after he lost his benefits and  started to struggle to feed his young  son.

“Because he failed to keep an appointment they took his job seekers  allowance away from him, this left him  only with child benefits and council tax  reduction,” said Mr Marshall-Thomas.

“Things did not get any better for him.  He was struggling very much  both as a  result of financial problems and because  of these financial problems the depression increased.

“He committed these offences in order  to obtain food for himself and his son.

“The stickers concerned were obtained  legitimately from Asda on a previous  occasion, they weren't stolen.”

Jones was sentenced to a three-month  community order including a curfew  between 8pm-8am and ordered to pay a  £60 victim surcharge.