In a case that could be described as both criminal and confectionery, a hapless thief's chocolate addiction has landed him in hot water after police followed a trail of distinctive purple wrappers straight to his home.
Michaela Bache, prosecuting at North Somerset Magistrates' Court, revealed how 34-year-old Liam J. T. Gibson's sweet tooth proved to be his undoing. The serial snack pilferer targeted the Co-op store in Weston-super-Mare's Bournville estate multiple times between September and October 2023, making off with hundreds of pounds worth of Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate bars.
The Wrapper Trail That Sealed His Fate
What Gibson failed to anticipate was the mountain of evidence he was leaving in his wake. Investigators discovered a veritable treasure trail of purple Cadbury wrappers scattered around his home address - undeniable proof of his chocolate-consuming crime spree.
"The evidence was quite overwhelming," Ms Bache told the court. "Police attended his home address and found a large amount of Cadbury's chocolate wrappers at the property."
A Pattern of Sweet-Toothed Crime
The chocolate caper wasn't Gibson's first brush with the law. The court heard he was already subject to a community order for previous theft offences when he embarked on his Dairy Milk crime wave.
His defence solicitor, George Smeaton, painted a picture of a man struggling with addiction issues, noting that his client had been "engaging well with the probation service" despite his chocolate-related relapse into criminal behaviour.
The Final Verdict
Magistrates showed little sweetness in their sentencing. Gibson received a 12-month community order with 80 hours of unpaid work and was ordered to pay £200 in compensation to the Co-op.
In a fitting conclusion to the case, he must also pay £85 in court costs and a £114 surcharge - a bitter aftertaste for a man with such expensive chocolate tastes.
The case serves as a stark warning to would-be confectionery criminals: in the world of retail crime, the wrapper doesn't lie, and your sweet tooth could lead to a very sour day in court.
