A burglar bled all over hundreds of pounds of electrical items he had stolen from his local chemist, a court has heard.

James Christopher Shaw, 44, formerly of Pembroke Dock, now of Treboeth, Swansea, appeared from custody at Haverfordwest magistrates court on Wednesday.

He pleaded guilty to entering Boots the Chemist, Pembroke Dock on November 1 and stealing £303.94 worth of items.

The court heard that a police officer was alerted to an alarm going off at the Dimond Street premises before spotting Shaw stumbling along carrying two Boots bags full of electrical items.

Abul Hussain, prosecuting, said: “He gained entry to the store by smashing a window and there was glass on the floor.

“The goods were recovered, but they were all stained and can’t be re-sold.  The defendant was bleeding and blood got onto those items.”

A victim impact statement supplied by Boots stated that the incident had caused ‘a massive amount of disruption’, and staff members had to come to work early to sort out the store.

Helen Wallace, defending, said Shaw had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and was very remorseful about his actions.

She told the bench that Shaw had an argument with his partner after both had drunk a ‘huge amount’ of alcohol. 

Ms Wallace added: “It was the early hours of the morning. She threw him out, and it was almost as a cry for help.  He was homeless and very drunk.  It was a spur of the moment action.”

Following a probation report, magistrates sentenced Shaw to a 12 month community order with a 25 day rehabilitation activity requirement.

He was also fined £60 and ordered to pay an £85 surcharge and £85 court costs.

Shaw said: “I apologise for any inconvenience.”