(Image: The Northern Echo)
A Durham man has been ordered to pay more than £450 in compensation after admitting two shop thefts.
Neil Bennett, 41, of Dragonville, Durham, appeared at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court on October 2.
Bennett pleaded guilty to two counts of theft from shops and to failing to surrender to police bail.
The first theft happened on January 15 at Boots in Stanley, where he stole pre-workout and nutrition powders worth £51.99.
The second was on January 26, 2026, at TK Maxx in Dragonville, where he stole three ladies’ coats valued at £400.
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For the theft at Boots, Bennett was ordered to pay £51.99 compensation. For the TK Maxx theft, he must pay £400 in compensation.
His guilty pleas were taken into account by the court.
There was no order for costs. Bennett was also convicted of failing to attend bail on October 1, but received no separate penalty for that offence.