A SHOPLIFTER stole a bottle of wine from an Aberystwyth shop in return for a place to stay for the night, magistrates heard.

Luke Anthony Drew, 27, was arrested for stealing the £7.99 bottle of wine from the Spar in Terrace Road after he paid for other items but didn’t try to pay for the wine.

Prosecutor Helen Tench said Drew, who gave a postal address of Flat 4, Emporium in Talybont, was seen to put the wine under his jacket before picking up other items and paying for them just after midnight on 18 December.

Staff challenged Drew, but he said he didn’t have any other items, and he ran out of the shop when staff tried to detain him until the police arrived.

Drew was arrested and the wine recovered, and he told police that he had tried to steal it as he had been offered a bed for the night if he provided a bottle of wine.

He also claimed that he hadn’t committed an offence as he had not left the shop, but made no comment after he was told that he had still committed an offence.

Drew, who represented himself, said that he had been under a lot of stress at the time and had “let the stress get the better of me”.

He said that his accommodation situation was irregular and that often meant he slept on the street.

Magistrates fined Drew £40, and he will also pay costs of £90.