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A shoplifter travelled from London to steal hundreds of pounds of alcohol from a superstore at Monks Cross, York magistrates heard.
Alexandru Florea, 23, used salad packs to conceal his activities at Sainsbury’s and removed security tags from 29 bottles while within the store, said Sarah Tyrer, prosecuting.
Then with the help of an accomplice, he tried to wheel a trolley full of alcohol through the till area without paying.
Despite the efforts of security staff, who later told police he had behaved like a member of an organised crime group, he got away.
But staff took the number plate of the car he got into and police spotted him the next day in Selby in the same car with another load of alcohol.
Florea, of Movers Lane, Barking and Dagenham, London, pleaded guilty to theft of £754 of alcohol from the Monks Cross Sainsbury’s on July 4.
For him, Craig Robertson said he had committed the theft to raise funds as he had financial difficulties. He had no previous convictions.
He had been a passenger in the car when he was arrested and had been brought to York.
York magistrates gave him a 12-month community order with 150 hours’ unpaid work and banned him from Monks Cross for 12 months. He must pay a £114 statutory surcharge and £85 prosecution costs.
Ms Tyrer said Florea arrived at the Sainsbury’s store at 8.15pm on July 4 and put two bags for life and numerous packs of salad in a trolley which he wheeled around the superstore.
But his activities made security staff suspicious because his activities were similar to those used by organised crime groups.
He put 29 bottles of alcohol totalling £754 in the bags for life and concealed them with the salad packs before moving to the cereal aisle where he detagged them.
Then while an accomplice distracted staff at the self-service tills by asking how to use them, he attempted to push the trolley out of the store.
Security staff intervened and kept the trolley within the store but were unable to prevent the two men leaving and getting into a Skoda whose number they took.
Florea was arrested the next day at 10am in Selby in the same car.
Mr Robertson said Florea, who followed proceedings with the help of a Romanian interpreter, came to the UK four years ago and had been working in this country but was currently out of work. He was looking for work.