A man who stole more than £390 of goods from stores in Dundee will be given time to work on his drug problems before being sentenced.
Ross Mitchell was told by Sheriff John Rafferty that he would have to “make a commitment” to getting better or face penalties.
Mitchell stole £132 of meat from Lidl on South Ward Road on April 14.
He also stole £185 of clothing from Debenhams in the Overgate and £74 of meat from Marks & Spencer on Murraygate on August 19.
That day officers also found 0.1g of heroin, valued at £10, on his person at West Bell Street police station.
>> Keep up to date with the latest news with Evening Telegraph newsletter
Dundee Sheriff Court was told Mitchell had suffered a number of “personal tragedies” in the past which had led to his drug use.
Sheriff Lorna Drummond heard he had started on a programme of suboxone, an opiate replacement therapy for heroin addiction.
Deferring sentence and continuing an existing community payback order until September 23, she told Mitchell: “It’s not off to a great start but it is early days.
“I can send you to jail but I’m not going to do that because you have started on this drug treatment.
“We will fix a review in four weeks’ time. By then it won’t be early days.
“It is possible for you to get on top of this but you have got to make that commitment.”
In response, Mitchell said: “Definitely. I’ll show you, 100%.”
This article originally appeared on the Evening Telegraph website. For more information, read about our new combined website.