Lauden got away from the store in Bouverie Place, with bottles of gin, whisky and rum on two occasions.

But when he went back to the same store for a third time, he was caught burning off security tags in another attempt to steal more alcohol.

Lauden, of Snargate Street, Dover, was later charged with five offences: three counts of shoplifting, one of attempted shoplifting and one of criminal damage.

He admitted the offences when he appeared before magistrates in Folkestone on June 19.

The court heard he stole two bottles of gin, three bottles of rum and two different bottles of whisky valued at £147.80 on May 14.

He then returned to Asda on May 16 and took another three bottles of gin, two bottles of rum and another two bottles of whisky.

The second haul came to £163.81, but when he returned to the Bouverie Place store on May 31, he again snatched another four bottles of rum and whisky valued at £139.33.

However, he was caught by staff as he burned security tags off the bottles with a lighter, and in total destroyed 20 security tags, which were valued at £400.

Shop staff blocked his exit from the alcohol aisle at both ends until the police arrived and arrested him.

The court also heard he stole a jacket worth £100 from the JD Sports store in the town on another separate occasion.

Victoria Aked, prosecuting, said: “He stole the jacket by putting one jacket over another and walking out of the store, he hid the bottles of alcohol on his person and this was caught on CCTV, but he made no comment in interview.

“All the bottles were stolen from the Asda supermarket and he used a lighter to cause the damage [to the security tags] and smuggle them out of Asda.

“The last time he attended, he was seen entering and burning the security tags and then taking the bottles of alcohol. In total, he destroyed 20 tags, which caused £400 worth of damage.

“He was arrested then, hence the attempted theft, and then he was identified over the other thefts.

“He has 31 convictions for 81 offences and 54 of them are theft matters, shoplifting and the like and there are also some drug matters.

“In March this year, he was jailed and then got rehabilitation days on a community order. He has a drug habit and has also had a suspended sentence activated [in the past].

“He’s skilful at getting stuff out and it’s not the first time. He’s not learned [from going to prison] and was on licence at the time of the offences and will still be on licence until July 15.”

Mark Trafford, defending, said his client has had a severe heroin addiction for the past 30 years.

He added: “Between 2008 and 2021 there was no offending at all.

“But then the Covid lockdown came and he was a self-employed window fitter, but this work was destroyed as he couldn’t go to work.

“This led to financial problems and the rent could not be paid.

“He separated from his partner and he has contact with her and his daughter - they would love to see him get off the drugs.

“In prison, he didn’t get help, but he’s now at the Dover Outreach Centre and has a room. It was available while he was inside and they are happy to have him back.

“He’s also engaging with the Forward Trust and is now on methadone and goes there weekly.

“I am going to invite you to suspend any sentence with requirements to give him one final opportunity to co-operate fully, he pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.”

Magistrates said they were encouraged by the prospect of Lauden being rehabilitated, and as a result, they jailed him for four months for the shoplifting offences but suspended the term for 12 months.

He was also ordered to complete a six-month drug rehabilitation requirement and to attend 15 rehabilitation sessions.

Lauden received no separate penalty for the criminal damage offence but was made to pay £100 to JD Sports for the jacket and £311.61 for the bottles of booze he stole.