A man filled a trolley “to the brim” with £1,700 worth of booze and tried to walk out of a supermarket because he was “angry” about a failed job interview.
Gheorge Ilie was jailed over the bizarre offence, which he carried out to make it up to his family for missing out on an employment opportunity.
The father of five’s lawyer told a court: “He was going to sell the items and take the money down to his family and offer that to them by way of compensation for not getting the job.”
Dundee Sheriff Court heard Ilie tried to conceal the bottles with bags but security tags on them activated alarms as he trie to walk quickly out of the store.
Fiscal depute John Adams told the court: “Witnesses were dealing with a matter at the customer service desk when they saw the accused walk briskly passed them towards the exit.
“He was pushing a large trolley filled to the brim with bottles of various spirits.
“Bags were placed on top of them in an attempt to conceal them.
“The alarm system was triggered and the witnesses ran after the accused.”
Ilie was escorted back to the store and held there until police arrived.
His solicitor told the court he had been “unaware” the bottles were alarmed.
Ilie, 40, of Nelson Street, East Ham, London, pleaded guilty on summary complaint to a charge of theft by shopligting at the Morrisons supermarket in Afton Way, Dundee, on April 8.
Sheriff George Way jailed Ilie for 60 days and said: “What you were trying to do was steal quite a lot.
“It may have been inept but it was still a serious attempt.”
